Acidic Affection
by 12AngryMen
Summary: After failing her first final, Mina Ashido begins to question why she's even at U.A. After an uplifting encounter with Izuku Midoriya, she finds not only new resolve but a new friend. But as the two spend more time together, a deeper bond begins to quickly form. Together they'll face jealous friends, explosive enemies, struggles with intimacy, and much more.
1. Someone to Catch You

Hey everyone, I'm a fan who just recently got into this wonderful series. This is my first story, so I'm hoping you'll all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own any of MHA, yada yada.

Cover Image by kiwikyu. You can find them on Deviantart under that name (Would link but this site hates links).

* * *

It was a warm summer evening as the sun set over U.A. High School. Students trickled out of the gates as their classes wrapped up for the day. For many, such as those in the hero program, today marked the end of finals for the semester. Some were cheering as they left, celebrating their freedom from the work. Others simply look exhausted, eager to get home and collapse into bed. Regardless, one thing was for sure: the end of finals had put everyone's mind at ease.

Well, almost everyone.

Mina Ashido sat alone in the famous – or infamous, depending on who you asked – classroom 1-A. She was slumped forward in her seat slightly, her head tilted down so she was staring at her desk. It was certainly an odd sight; the pink hero-in-training was known for being one of the first students out of the classroom once the bell rang. Yet here she was, sitting like a statue as her peers were all heading home for the day. The only reason she hadn't been kicked out was there hadn't actually been class in the homeroom today; their practical exams were held in another part of the building.

The exam that Mina had failed.

The reason she was sitting here, staring at a blank desk with an equally blank expression on her face.

Another oddity in her behavior. Everyone knew Mina was possibly the most expressive, emotional student in the class. Happy, sad, angry, everyone knew whatever she was feeling. But right now, her expression was unreadable. Devoid of any kind of emotion.

She had lost track of how long she'd sat here, staring at her desk like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. She didn't really care either. Her mind was entirely focused on the exam she had failed just a little while ago. Spectacularly failed at that. There may not have been a more total failure in the history of this school, she reckoned.

Oh sure, Kirishima and Sato had also failed, but they at least looked like that came somewhat close. They didn't just spend the whole test running like an idiot, never even seeing their opponent. They at least had a plan, as bullheaded as it was. Mina and Kaminari on the other hand looked downright pathetic. Not that Mina blamed her partner; his quirk was simply not well suited for the task they had.

See, it wasn't just the fact that Mina had failed the exam that was making her feel so horrible. Oh, it certainly played a part, because it meant she was no longer going to the training camp she had been looking forward to. It also meant she was going to have a very "fun" conversation at home tonight. But she could move past all that.

No, it was seeing everyone else's performance in the finals that was making her feel like she was about to vomit. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu and Tokoyami, Koda and Jirou… Everyone had performed spectacularly. Their strategy, teamwork, and technique had led them all to victory against their teachers one way or another. Even Mineta showed some resolve for once in his life. And Mina was happy for all of them, ecstatic even. Seeing how much her classmates had improved over the semester was incredible.

But it also showed just how far Mina had fallen behind. Mina Ashido, rank 19 out of 20 students (And frankly, based on how much more quickly Kaminari had grasped topics during their group study sessions at Yaoyorozu's, she was beginning to suspect this exam might push her to 20). Mina Ashido, the student who held the record for after-school detention with Mr. Aizawa. Mina Ashido, the girl who was beginning to question just what it was she was doing here.

"Seriously… What _am_ I doing here?" The horned girl let out a sigh. This exam had been one hell of a wake-up call, that was for sure. She was at the finest school in the country for heroes, and yet one semester later she felt like she hadn't improved in the slightest. Oh, sure she survived the villain attack at the USJ, but that was because of everyone else. In fact, she was pretty certain she was the only one who hadn't fought. And while it was true she placed quite high at the Sports Festival, it was mostly because she road on the coattails of Bakugou to the top 16, and just so happened to go against the one guy whose weakness she knew perfectly in the first round.

Other than that? A long list of failed assignments, contests, and of course exams. Slacking off at arcades instead of doing work. Hanging out with her hard-working classmates instead of catching up on studies, pretending like she belonged here.

"Yeah… Pretending,"

Reflecting on all of this as she sat here, Mina had begun to suspect that she U.A. was not the place for her. This was a prestigious school for the best of the best, and while her acid quirk was certainly powerful, she was hardly an exemplary student. This disaster of a final was a clear indicator of that.

Letting out another sigh, Mina placed her elbows on the desk and let her face sink into her hands. She might have started crying, but she had done enough of that today. She didn't even feel that sad anyway, just… Disappointed, really. Disappointed in herself.

She didn't move her hands when she heard the door open and shut, nor did she move them when she heard the footsteps slowly approach her. She finally moved them as a timid male voice spoke, one she immediately recognized.

"…Ashido?" The concern in his voice was obvious. She slowly turned her head up to look at the source of the voice, her expression not changing.

"Midoriya."

* * *

 _ **A few minutes earlier**_

Izuku Midoriya let out a yawn as he walked down the halls of U.A., eager to get home. He loved this school, and was grateful every single day that he had gotten the chance to come here, but these finals had taken a lot out of him. It was bad enough that he had to work with his friend-turned-bully and fight a teacher, but when said teacher was All Might? Even with those training weights it was an absurd. It was one of the many times he found himself questioning the teachings methods of this school.

Still, this place was the best for a reason, and he had ultimately prevailed. Somehow, he and Kacchan had successfully worked together to overcome All Might and pass. It made him realize just how much he had grown since starting here. How much he had gotten control over One for All, though he obviously had a long way to go before truly making it his own. He couldn't help but be a little proud of himself, a rare feeling for the Quirk inheritor.

But as always, he quickly found himself thinking of other more than himself. Not everyone had been as fortunate as him; 4 of his classmates had failed the practical final, which meant they wouldn't be attending the training retreat. Kirishima, Sato, Kaminari, Ashido… He could only imagine how they were feeling.

"Ashido…" His mind drifted back to when he first returned from his test. Everyone had watched and were all waiting to congratulate him, even the ones that hadn't passed their own tests. But while they were happy for him, they couldn't completely hide how upset they were about their own results. Ashido had stood out in particular to Izuku because he just wasn't used to seeing her look so down. She almost always had a smile on her face, typically having a very brief but comedically exaggerated reaction if something had actually upset her.

This was different though. She was clearly trying to hide it, but Izuku could tell something was off. He had wanted to say something, but before he had a chance he was instructed to go down to the nurse's office.

Izuku stroked his chin as he thought about this out loud. Fortunately, the hallway was empty so nobody was around to hear his trademark mumbling. By the time he had gotten out of the nurse's office, everyone else in his class had left for home, and he was looking forward to doing the same.

As the formerly Quirkless boy passed by his homeroom, a sudden flash of pink in the corner of his eye snapped him out of his rambling. He backed up a few steps to look through the door window. The source of said pink flash was none other than Mina Ashido.

"What's she doing in there? Huh?" The student's eyes widened a bit as he got a better look as his classmate. He had noticed something off about her before, but this was…

He almost didn't recognize her.

Any of her usual energy was completely gone. Her face looked devoid of any kind of emotion as she sat completely motionless at her seat, slumped forward with her head tilted down. No crying, no anger, just… Nothing. It kind of scared Izuku.

"How long has she been here?" He muttered as he stared at the acid user. After several seconds, she suddenly moved as he placed her elbows on the desk and raised up her arms, letting her face fall into hands. Izuku grimaced a bit as he realized he started to recognize her unusual behavior. The look, the body language, everything about her demeanor was all too familiar to him.

This was the look of someone who felt completely defeated. Someone who was giving up. Izuku was very well acquainted with that feeling; whether it was the day he found out he wasn't going to get a quirk, or at the times in middle school where he would succumb to his classmates' jeering, or when the more cynical All Might he first met had told him becoming a hero would be impossible without a quirk, he had dealt with it more times than he could count. It was something he never wanted to experience again, and seeing someone else, especially someone like Mina, going through that torment…

Izuku's hands balled into fists. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

The door creaked as the green haired boy opened it, shutting it behind him as he entered the room. He had never said more than a few words to Mina since he met her, but that didn't matter right now. She didn't look up as he approached her desk.

"…Ashido?" He called out. The horned girl seemed to respond to this as he slowly lifted her head up to him.

"Midoriya." Much like her expression, Mina's voice was lacking its usual energy and bubbliness. She didn't say anything else as she stared blankly at him.

"Uh… W-what are you doing in here? S-school is over y-you know," Izuku stammered as he spoke, not entirely sure what the best thing to say right now was. Plus, he still was a little uneasy talking to girls.

"Oh." There was a brief silence as the two continued to stare at each other.

"I-is… Is everything a-alright?" Izuku obviously knew the answer, but he needed to say something.

"Yep." Another one-word answer.

"A-are you sure?" This time Mina shut her eyes, breathing in a bit.

"Yes, I'm sure. Everything's fine Midoriya." There was a hint of irritation in her voice, another emotion Izuku didn't usually hear from Mina. He backed up a step, raising his hands slightly.

What the One for All inheritor didn't realize was the he was one of the last people Mina wanted to see right now. Out of all of the exams, his was the one that had truly made her realize just how behind she had fallen. Midoriya and Bakugou. Possibly the two most incompatible students in the class, up against the top hero in the entire world. An impossible task, right?

Well somehow, some way, they had done the impossible. Bakugou and Midoriya, the two students who were clearly enemies before they had come to U.A., managed to put aside whatever problems they had and work together to win against All Might. Freaking All Might!

And this was the same guy who placed last in the initial quirk test at the start of the year. The guy who couldn't use his power without shattering his limbs. Now he was one of the best in the class, capable of going toe-to-toe with the juggernaut that was All Might, even if he was handicapped.

Just thinking about it made her pissed off. Not at it Midoriya, but at herself.

"L-look, if you want to t-talk about the exam…" This guy really didn't know when to back off.

"I said I was fine, okay!?" Mina shouted as she suddenly leapt to her feat. Izuku jumped back at this, raising his hands up even more. "What, you think I'm upset about failing this stupid test and not going to this stupid retreat!?" Her hands were balled into fists, arms shaking slightly as she yelled at her classmate. Izuku simply stared, wide-eyed at the sudden outburst of emotion. After a few more seconds, Mina sighed, relaxing slightly as she shut her eyes.

This wasn't his fault. She shouldn't be lashing out at him like this.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was much lower now. "I'm just…" Another sigh. Izuku slowly lowered his hands. "I know you're just trying to help. That's what you do, right?" She put on a smile. A sad, forced smile. "Always butting into people's business whether they want you to or not. Always helping everyone out. Always striving to be the best hero you can be." Izuku blinked in confusion, unsure where she was going with this. "Seriously, amazing how strong you've gotten. How strong everyone's gotten. It's been one hell of a semester, hasn't it?" Her smile drooped a bit as she looked down.

Izuku was starting to put it together.

"Y-you've gotten way stronger too, Ashido," he started to say. She held up a hand as he was about to continue, shaking her head.

"Come on, Midoriya, you saw me out there right?" She let out a soft, hollow laugh. "Couldn't even find my opponent. Spend the whole damn thing running like an idiot. Some hero I am, huh?" Her smile was getting less and less convincing. "That's me, bottom of the barrel of Class 1-A, right?"

It wasn't just the exam, Izuku realized. He knew Mina was struggling with academics in general, but it never seemed to bother her that much. But it seemed the practical had changed that.

"L-look, Ashido, you-

"You, though, you were incredible." She wasn't listening to him at this point. "Seriously, you managed to get your weird quirk under control, _and_ get Bakugou to work together with you. And you beat _All Might._ " She patted him on the shoulder, which made him tense up a bit. "You're amazing. You really do belong at this school." She began to walk past him, making her way for the door. Izuku stood in place as she left.

"I belong here…" He muttered. "Unlike you? Is that what you're trying to say?" He turned his head towards her, noticing she had stopped moving. She didn't face him, but he saw her rub her eye for a moment. Without answering, she continued forward, putting a hand on the doorknob. Izuku shut his eyes tight, gritting his teeth. He had to say something!

"I was Quirkless!"

Mina froze, the doorknob halfway-turned. She slowly turned to face her classmate, a look of utter confusion on her face. Izuku took a second to realize what he blurted out.

Crap. Not exactly what he wanted to say.

He took a deep breath and gathered himself. Since Bakugou had called him a "Quirkless loser" a few times in front of the class, he had practiced a cover story in case this topic ever came up.

"My Quirk," he started, looking at his hand. "I didn't always have it." Mina was now completely turned around, her hand off the doorknob. "It didn't appear until I was done with middle school, actually. Doctor couldn't really explain why." It wasn't a lie, technically. "So, I've spent most of my life thinking I was Quirkless." The hero-in-training looked at his feet, partially because he felt bad about lying, but mostly because he was bringing up bad memories. "It… It was rough growing up thinking that."

Mina could only imagine. Quirkless people were a rarity to be sure. She wasn't sure if she ever met one, at least one that she knew for a fact was Quirkless. But she did know how low an opinion society had of the Quirkless. They were treated like second-class citizens at times, as nobody thought they would accomplish anything in life. Was Izuku treated the same?

"All my life, I've dreamed of becoming a hero. Even when I was told I was never going to get a Quirk, I kept on trying. I knew it was basically an impossible dream, but…" He looked up, a more determined look on his face now. "Heroes are never supposed to give up, right?" Mina's eyes widened slightly as he said this. "Of course, nobody else believed in me back then. A lot kids liked to bully me, and I didn't really have any friends. I mean, who wants to be friends with a Quirkless loser, right?

Quirkless loser. Mina had heard Bakugou call Midoriya that more than a few times. She, like many others, hadn't thought much of it. Bakugou said a lot of shit, after all. But hearing this… The two clearly knew each other before U.A. Was Bakugou one of the bullies he mentioned?

Her hands clenched into fists once again. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was bullies. People who picked on the weak and defenseless, they were basically junior villains. Mina had stood up to a lot of bullies during her childhood. It was one of the things that had made her want to become a hero.

She had always taken her Quirk for granted. She never once imagined her life without it. After all, everyone she knew had Quirks. She couldn't possibly see herself even thinking about becoming a hero if she didn't have one. She couldn't see anyone without a Quirk thinking that.

But Izuku Midoriya, the student who continued to shock the entire class with amazing feats, whether it be pushing Todoroki to the brink at the Sports Festival, surviving an encounter with the infamous Hero Killer, or of course besting All Might in his final exam, had.

Even though it sounded like he had been put down by everyone most of his life, he clearly never gave up on becoming a hero. Heroes were basically his life, everyone knew that.

"But despite that, I just couldn't give up. There were times when I felt like I should, but then I would remember All Might's words… And how a hero needs to smile, even when things look bad!" His voice was getting louder and louder as he spoke, his stutter long gone.

All Might. Izuku idolized the man, everyone also knew that. The symbol of peace and justice, who always had a smile on his face no matter what the situation was. He inspired hope for people all across the world.

Mina's eyes dropped to the floor as her hands relaxed. Despite not having a Quirk, Izuku kept on dreaming. Kept on smiling.

How did he do it?

How could he have hope in a completely hopeless situation like that?

"But I couldn't do it forever," Izuku said, his voice quieting down a bit. "I hit a point in my life where I just couldn't smile anymore. After years of hearing everyone telling you that you can't do something… It gets to you, you know?" Mina looked up, realizing that Izuku was now the one looking at the floor. His face told her that these were some painful memories he was bringing up. "I was ready to just… fall down and give up. I would never become a hero."

Why?

Why was he telling her all this? The two of them barely knew each other. Why was he spilling his guts like this?

"But then, someone caught me," he continued, looking her in the eye once again. "Someone told me, despite as absurd as it sounded, that yes, I could become a hero, Quirk or no Quirk." The fierce, determined look returned to his eyes as he spoke. "And if it wasn't for that person, I probably wouldn't be here today. Even though it turned out I did have a Quirk in the end." Again, he technically wasn't lying about that. "I'm telling you all this, because… Because…" He stuck out his arms. "I'm here to be the one to catch you!" He shouted. "I know it's hard accepting failure, but… But you shouldn't just give up!" Mina was stunned. She hadn't seen Izuku this passionate since the fight with Todoroki.

And he was this fired up because of her.

"I… I honestly think you're one of the strongest students in our class." Mina thought he might just be saying that to cheer her up, but… He sounded so genuine.

Because he was. Izuku had always admired Mina's combat prowess, even if she hadn't really gotten a chance to show them off. And her Quirk was potentially one of the most powerful in the class. He was actually grateful he had never had to fight her at the Sports Festival; he honestly had no clue how he would have a chance, since her acid made melee attacks almost impossible.

"You might be behind now, but that just means… That just means you have to work harder than everyone else!" He exclaimed. Those were the words he had to keep telling himself the first few days of class, when he had zero control over One for All.

"Work harder…" Mina finally spoke, echoing his words. She looked at Izuku. The guy who got into U.A. with 0 combat points on his entrance exam, who couldn't throw a punch without breaking his arm at first. Now he was one of the top students in both grades and combat ability.

Izuku Midoriya, the guys who, despite being supposedly Quirkless, never gave on his goal.

Mina's whole body tensed up as her eyes shut tight, her hands balling into fists yet again.

What the hell was she doing?

After everything he had been through, Izuku was still one of the most driven students in the class. And she seriously considering dropping out of class over a failed midterm?

"You're right. I do need to work harder." She put her hands on her hips, standing to attention as she gave Izuku a look as fierce and driven as the one he had been giving her. "How can I be a hero if I'm gonna run away the second things get bad?"

A smile appeared on her face. Not another fake, forced smile, but a genuine Mina Ashido smile.

"Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking!" She laughed. In an instant, Mina seemed to be back to her usual, cheery self. Izuku smiled back, relieved that his talk had actually worked. "Just… Wow, I had no idea you had gone through all that."

"Well, uh, it's s-something I really like t-talking about." Izuku was also going back to his normal, more timid self. The kind that still struggled even talking to girls. Mina couldn't help but giggle at his sudden shift in demeanor.

"Well… Thank you. You don't know how bad I needed to hear that." Her yellow-black eyes blinked. "Er, well… I guess you did." The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Now that they were calming down, Izuku realized he was standing alone in the classroom with a girl he barely knew.

"O-Oh, d-d-don't mention it, A-A-Ashido." His stammering was getting worse, to which Mina giggled again.

Izuku felt his cheeks getting warm.

"Call me Mina."

Now his cheeks were getting _really_ warm.

"Are you two finished?" A third voice made the pair of students jump. Mina whipped around to see Mr. Aizawa standing in the now-open doorway. "Seriously, I could hear your shouting from my office." Now both students blushed. "We're locking up, so you two need to head home."

"Yes sir!" Izuku and Mina spoke in unison, quickly making their way out of the classroom. They had learned by not to ignore their homeroom teacher's orders.

Izuku sighed, and started to make his way for the school exit. This had been quite a day, and he was even more ready than before to get home and rest.

He felt his entire body go stiff as something warm suddenly slammed into him. It took him a second to realize Mina had practically tackled him into an enthusiastic hug.

A hug.

Izuku was being hugged.

Izuku was being hugged by _a girl_.

The green haired boy felt like he was on fire as his entire body turned bright red.

"Wh... Hu… Bu…." Izuku tried to speak, but his brain simply wasn't working right now as it attempted to process the events that were occurring.

"Thank you." A soft, grateful voice spoke in his ear before he was released. He managed to look at Mina, who was giving him an even more wholesome smile than usual. "I mean it. You really are an incredible guy, Izuku."

He was still trying to process what had just happened as she walked off. It took several more seconds before he finally felt like he could move.

Wait, did she call him Izuku?

"Hey, Midoriya!" Before his brain shut down a second time, Izuku heard Aizawa's voice. He turned to see the erasure user still standing there, staring at him. "Snap out of it and get a move on already."

"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku exclaimed before literally running off, his fear of annoying his teacher outweighing his embarrassment. As he watched his student run, Aizawa sighed.

"Those two really are trouble." Despite these words, a small smile appeared on his face.

Like Izuku, he too had noticed Mina's demeanor earlier today. And he had also noticed the fact that Izuku noticed. He was going to talk to the pink haired acid user after class, but something told him Izuku was going to do it for him.

"Nice going, kid." Mina had certainly been a difficult student, but Aizawa recognized her potential. She just needed a little more drive to succeed. And if anyone could give her that, it was Izuku.

* * *

Phew, first chapter done. Hope you all enjoyed. I can't say for sure when I'll be updating this again, but it'll be hopefully soon.


	2. Mall Encounter

Wow. I was not expecting this to get as many follows as it did. Thank you everyone! I hope you continue to enjoy.

Also, I realized the story wasn't tagged as Mina/Izuku. That has since been fixed.

* * *

Mina was getting a little sick of Aizawa's "Logical Deceptions".

That was not to say she wasn't absolutely ecstatic when her homeroom teacher had announced that everyone was going to the training camp, regardless of their test results. Of course, the cheers of the exam flunkies quickly silenced when it was announced they would be getting additional remedial training, which, as Aizawa practically threatened, would be even more grueling than summer school.

Somehow though, Mina wasn't as bothered by that news as she thought she'd be. Nor was she as bothered by the fact that yes, she had dropped down to the lowest class grade. Everyone had ended up passing the written exams, but as she expected Kaminari had earned a higher score than her, bumping him just past her.

Most students would have been devastated by all this. But for some reason, it just made Mina feel even more motivated than ever to improve herself.

" _That just means you have to work harder than anyone else!"_ Izuku's words from yesterday were still fresh in the pink girl's head. She was still feeling pumped by his speech, and hearing that she was getting more work to do was just making her even more determined to prove herself. She was sure she would soon be changing her tune once the remedial training actually started, but she knew it was for her own good.

But that wasn't happening yet. For now, she had even more important things to worry about. Such as the class shopping trip.

Mina had been to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall before, but some of her classmates were clearly experiencing it for the first time. She couldn't help but smirk as her peers gawked around at the shopping center, commenting on its size and design. To Mina it was nothing special at this point, but to them it was a completely new experience. Izuku was one such person.

Mina wasn't surprised. Given his personality, the guy didn't seem like a very outgoing sort. And now that she knew about his rough childhood, it was even less surprising to hear he had never been somewhere like this.

She frowned as she recalled some of yesterday's conversation. To think that anyone would pick on someone like Izuku appalled her. He seemed like such a kind and caring person, never bothering anyone. Then again, it was probably because he was bullied so much that he turned out so meek and shy.

It may have sounded rude to call him meek, but it was more or less the reason Mina hadn't ever really talked to the guy. His quiet nature made him easy to ignore, and he seemed to intentionally try to avoid standing out whenever possible. Even his current outfit, a t-shirt and sweat pants, just screamed "plain". Besides, he looked like he had made good friends with some of their other classmates, so she didn't feel bad about, for lack of a better word, ignoring him.

But yesterday changed that. While it was true Izuku had shown that bolder side of him in the past, seeing it directed at her had really made Mina reevaluate her opinion of him. Not that she thought poorly of him, mind you, but she felt a sort of admiration for him that wasn't there before. It made her want to get to know him better.

Besides, he looked completely lost here. With everyone splitting up, he was going to need a guide, and couldn't help but feel like she owed him for everything he did yesterday. She approached the confused looking student as he was trying to get his bearings, mumbling to himself.

"Yo, Midoriya," she greeted with a smile. Izuku quickly turned to face her, clearly a bit started by the acid Quirk user's sudden appearance. Once he registered it was Mina, his face turned red. Mina's black "Pinky" shirt and jean shorts were a bit more… Revealing than her school uniform.

Plus, that close encounter at the end of their conversation was still fresh in his mind.

"O-Oh. H-hey, Ashido," he stuttered, quickly looking away. Mina raised an eyebrow at this reaction.

"I said you can call me Mina," she reminded him.

"R-Right, s-s-sorry." Mina was still perplexed by his demeanor. She knew he was shy, but normally not to this extent. And he had no problem talking to her yesterday.

As she thought of yesterday, she quickly recalled how she had parted with him.

A grin appeared on her face. That explained a lot.

"Hey, hey, I'm not gonna tackle you again, so calm down." Evidently, her surprise hug attack was still on Izuku's mind. Though she shouldn't be surprised; he had turned so red from that she might have mistaken him for her long-lost cousin or something. It hadn't been her intent to make him so embarrassed; she was just excited, and felt a hug was the best way to thank her classmate for everything he did.

Though it was a nice bonus. Seeing him this flustered was entertaining to say the least.

It also made him look really damn cute...

"Th-that's not… I-I mean, did you n-need something?" Before Mina could fully process that last thought, Izuku turned back to face her, his face returning to normal.

"I just figured you might want someone to show you around," she threw her arms out, striking some sort of pose. "And I just so happen to be quite the expert on all things Kiyashi!"

Izuku looked around the massive mall again, then back at his pink classmate. It was true he had no idea where he was going, and the list of supplies he needed for the trip wasn't small. Mina would be a big help, but at the same time Izuku didn't want to be a nuisance. Plus, walking around alone with a girl he barely knew…

Izuku felt his cheeks warming up again.

"Sheesh, you're acting funny today," Mina teased, which didn't help his blush. "What happened to that Midoriya I was talking to yesterday?" Izuku shut his eyes and took a deep breath. She was right, he needed to calm down. She was just a classmate who was offering to help show him around.

"S-sorry,' he apologized. "And t-thank you, but I don't want to be a b-burden. You can p-probably cover more ground w-without me."

"Pffft." Mina rolled her eyes. "Seriously, are you sure you and that guy I talked to yesterday are the same person? It's fine, I don't mind giving you a tour." She crossed her arms. "Besides, I'd consider us friends after all that stuff you told me, wouldn't you? And what kind of friend would I be if I left you all alone out here?" Izuku was taken aback by this. It was true that he had said some pretty personal things to her; things he hadn't even talked about with his other friends. But still, hearing this girl who he had basically just started talking to call him her friend was not something he was used to.

Not to say he didn't appreciate it. And admittedly, she had been on the back of his mind since last night. He wouldn't mind getting to know her a little more.

The Quirk inheritor nodded.

"Great, then let's get moving!" Before Izuku could react, Mina had suddenly grabbed his wrist and began walking at a brisk pace, pulling him along.

"W-wait!" The feeling of her hand on his arm quickly made Izuku's blush return. "Wait! A-Ashido!"

"Mina!" She corrected him, looking back with one of her trademark grins. "Now come on! I'll show you one of my favorite clothing stores first, and then…"

Izuku let out an exasperated sigh as the excited girl listed off store after store. Just what had he gotten himself into?

As the teens made their way to an escalator, neither one noticed a hooded figure that had been observing their conversation. They slowly rose to their feet as they began to follow the pair.

* * *

It turned out Izuku had gotten himself into a rather fun time. Though it took a little while for him to get over his usual awkwardness, Mina soon had him talking about all sorts of topics as the two got to know each other more and more. As they hopped from shop to shop, the two discussed their quirks, their families, school, hobbies, and much more. They had been able to keep a conversation going for nearly an hour now; evidently, Mina's seemingly unlimited energy was contagious.

Despite their drastically different personalities, the pair had more in common than they thought, mostly when it came to heroes. While nobody could match Izuku's downright obsession with all things hero, Mina came surprisingly close. It had been awhile since he was able to discuss stuff like hero comics in such detail without getting weird stares.

"…But in the end, All Might broke out of the hold and finished the villain off in one punch!" Izuku excitedly recounted one of the many All Might comics he had read.

"Yeah it was awesome! He was all like 'DETROOOIIIIT SMMMMAAAASH' and then BOOM, K.O'd bad guy!" Mina put on her best All Might impression as she thrust a fist outward, a bag full of camping supplies in her other hand. The two of them laughed. Obviously most All Might stories ended in a similar fashion, but that didn't make them any less enjoyable. "I still can't believe you named all your moves after his," she suddenly looked at him with a smirk. "You're such a fanboy."

"Uh… Heh." Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly. "M-maybe a little…"

"A little? Come on, you freaking idolize the guy!" She laughed as she teased him, poking at an All Might patch on his backpack. Izuku responded by quickly trying to cover up said patch, trying to hide his blush. This display simply made Mina's laughter increase, which in turn amplified the All Might fan's embarrassment.

Another thing Izuku was quickly learning about his new friend was that she loved to tease. Constantly. They couldn't go 5 minutes without her making some comment that put him in a state like this.

"Y-You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Izuku asked as he calmed himself down.

"Sure am!" Mina's grin widened. However, it suddenly vanished as something occurred to her. "Hey… This isn't bothering you, is it?" Izuku looked at her, slightly confused. "I mean, you know I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything, right?" There was suddenly concern in her voice. The horned girl had gotten so caught up in their conversation she had briefly forgotten Izuku's story from yesterday, and how he had been teased and mocked by his peers for a large portion of his life.

"Huh? Oh no, no!" Izuku waved his hands in from of him. "I know you don't mean any of it." There was a clear contrast between her playful jabs and the malicious insults Bakugou and his other old bullies would shout. He recognized that. "T-To be honest, I'm kinda g-glad you're doing it," he admitted. Sure, all the joking made him flustered, but he didn't want Mina to act around him differently just because of his past. After all, he had been treated weird by everyone most of his life. "I-I mean, you wouldn't be saying that stuff if you thought I c-couldn't take it, right?" He looked at her, smiling. Mina quickly understood.

He didn't want her to think he was weak. And of course, she didn't. Rather, she now believed he was one of, if not the toughest, bravest person in the whole class. Certainly more than her; had she been in his shoes, she would have given up on becoming a hero long ago.

Still, it was kind of hilarious to think a guy with a will as strong as his could be so easily tripped up by a few silly comments. Izuku Midoriya was one weird guy.

"Hey, ain't those U.A. students?" Their conversation was interrupted by a passerby.

"Yeah, I think I recognize them! Class 1-A, from the sports festival!" Another voice cried out. The aforementioned students turned to see a small group of people approaching them.

"More fans." Mina looked back at her compatriot. "Guess that's just one of the many perks of being a U.A. student, huh?" Several more people had also taken notice of them.

"Yeah… Perks," Izuku said reluctantly. He obviously appreciated the praise, but his awkwardness made it tough to deal with all these fans.

The two "celebrities" spent a few minutes talking to the group, getting photos and even signing an autograph or two. Unsurprisingly, Izuku was getting the lion's share of the attention, most of the crowd commenting on his fight with Todoroki. It made sense; that fight was probably the highlight of the event, even more-so than the finals. Of course, it only made Izuku's awkwardness with strangers even more apparent as he struggled to converse with everyone.

Mina giggled as she signed a child's notebook. He was just so cute.

She blinked. There it was again.

Where was this coming from? It wasn't like she'd thought of him in this way before.

As the fans dispersed, Izuku slumped his shoulders and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Man, how do pros handle this every day?" He asked nobody in particular. He looked positively drained.

"The price of fame, eh?" Mina nudged his arm with her elbow. "You shouldn't be so surprised. With everything you pulled off at the festival, it's no wonder you're so popular." Izuku looked at her. "Like I said before, you're pretty amazing!"

For whatever reason, hearing that from her gave the One for All wielder a fuzzy feeling. He felt his face warm up yet again as he looked at her smiling face, and he couldn't help but smile himself. For a few moments, they stared at each other in silence.

As he looked, Izuku for some reason found himself drawn into his companion's eyes. Those black and yellow orbs had always intrigued the boy ever since he first saw Mina. As he gazed into them, he could see so much emotion in them. They radiated with that passion the pink haired hero-in-training was known for.

They were beautiful.

"Hellooooo?" The snapping of fingers brought Izuku back to his senses. "Earth to Midoriya, come in Midoriya!" The source of the snapping was Mina's fingers in front of his face. Izuku's eyes went wide.

How long was he staring at her like that?

His whole face turned red.

"Ah! S-S-Sorry, I just… I was…" The human-tomato hybrid was struggling with words. "Wh-What were we t-talking about?"

"…I said I was going to use the little girls' room." Mina decided to chalk her friend's behavior up to the nerves he was probably still feeling from the fans. "You mind waiting here? I'll be back in a few."

"O-Oh. Yeah, n-no problem," Izuku answered as he slowly began to cool down. Mina walked off to take care of her business, leaving him standing on his own. Once she was out of sight, Izuku began to think. What was that about just now? He'd never thought that kind of stuff about someone before, especially not their eyes. Still, the more he thought, the more he started to admit that she was rather pretty…

"Ah!" He both verbally and mentally yelped. Where was all this coming from? What was he, Mineta? Was he seriously this awkward when it came to girls? But why didn't he ever think about Uraraka like that?

"Woah, you're a U.A. kid, right? Class 1-A?" A man's voice shook the flustered boy out of his thoughts. "Wow, awesome! Can I get your autograph?" Izuku sighed, not exactly in the mood to deal with more fans right now. "Hey, aren't you that guy who got all banged up by the ice kid at the Sports Festival?" The same voice, suddenly now much closer, continued.

Izuku felt his whole body go rigid as an arm was suddenly thrown around his neck.

"Aaah! Yeah… That's me…" The nervous boy started to sweat a bit. This guy had no concept of personal space.

"And hold on, didn't you also have a run in with that Hero Killer guy, Stain?" The man continued. Izuku suddenly felt like he recognized his voice.

"Y-Y-Yes, sir. Y-You really k-know your stuff." Why was he getting a bad feeling all of a sudden?

"Man, you're really something! And to think, I'd be meeting you again here of all places…" The voice suddenly took on a more sinister tone.

Wait, again? What did he mean by-

Izuku let out a small cry as the hand draped loosely over his shoulder suddenly grabbed his neck.

"This must be fate or something. You seem to be having trouble remembering, but I guess the last time _you_ saw _me_ was at the U.A. invasion, huh? Izuku Midoriya?"

The U.A. student's blood ran cold as he realized what was going on. This voice he recognized, this hand, the USJ…

He slowly turned to see the face of the man who had struck fear into class 1-A that day. The terrifying leader of the League of Villains, who had nearly killed both Izuku and All Might that day. Even without the hand covering his grinning face, the young hero-in-training knew exactly who he was looking at.

"…Tomura Shigaraki…!"

Izuku frantically looked around. Nobody had seemed to notice his situation.

"Act natural, kid. We're just old friends catching up, got it?" The villain whispered. "I just want to have a little chat, that's all. Yeah, a nice, friendly chat." Shigaraki began walking, taking his captive with him. "And don't even think about doing anything funny. Because the second you do, you know what'll happen right?" Izuku gulped. Currently, Shigaraki's hand was clamped around his neck. All but 1 finger. "The moment all of my fingers are touching you, you'll start crumbling from the skin down. Within a minute, you'll be nothing but dust," Shigaraki hissed. Izuku's mind immediately recalled seeing this monster's quirk in action against Aizawa.

"But… But if you do…" Izuku struggled to speak. "You know, a hero i-in this c-crowd will… Will catch you."

"Of course they will. But look around, kid." The master of the League of Villains gestured to the oblivious crowd around them. "Just about everyone here has a quirk that could easily hurt people. Yet none of them seem afraid. Why? Because they think everyone will obey the same laws they do. That nobody would attack so suddenly." He cackled. "I could probably kill 20, maybe 30 people before someone finally stopped me. Anyone I wanted, really." He leaned in close to Izuku's ear, his next words dripping with malice. "Like that pink girlfriend of yours, for instance."

The captive's eyes shot open as wide as they could. Had he been following them this whole time?

The image of Mina crumbling away flashed through his head.

"Ashido!" He wasn't in the right state of mind to even remotely think about the girlfriend comment.

"Ashido, huh? What a pretty name. A pretty name for a pretty girl. We wouldn't want to worry about her now would we, Mr. Hero?" Shigaraki's grin widened as Izuku's face went ghost white. They both stayed quiet for a few moments.

"What… What do you want to talk about…?" Izuku knew he couldn't fight this. He'd just have to play along and either wait for an opening, or hope this lunatic would actually spare his life.

"That's the spirit!" Shigaraki laughed once again. A dry, empty laugh. "Now let's find a nice, quiet place, shall we?"

* * *

Mina wiped her hands on her shirt as she exited the restroom.

"Seriously, all this advanced technology nowadays, and we still can't get hand dryers that actually work…" She grumbled. She checked her phone. "Crap." It had been about 15 minutes since she left Izuku on his own. She'd been jumped by more a few more groups of fans shortly after parting ways with him. "Hope he's not too annoyed." Her shopping companion didn't strike the horned girl as an impatient sort, but she felt bad nonetheless.

Fortunately, she avoided running into any more speedbumps on her way back. She quickly returned to where she left Izuku, looking around for her green-haired friend. At first glance, she didn't see him.

"Midoriya?" She began to walk around. This was the correct spot, wasn't it? She took a moment to check the nearby shops, figuring he had wandered into one while he was waiting for her.

She saw no sign of him.

"The heck?" Mina's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she folded her arms, pondering where the boy might have gone. Did he also go to the restroom and she just missed him? Did he go looking for her, since she had taken so long? She didn't think he'd just ditch her for no reason…

Unless, he thought she had ditched him? It was certainly possible. Izuku certainly didn't have the most self-esteem; did he take her long absence as a way of saying she didn't want to hang out with him anymore?

The more she thought about it, the more likely it started to seem.

"Shit, why didn't I get his number?" She asked herself, widening her search. Exchanging numbers was typically one of the first things she did with a new friend, but for some reason she had been reluctant to do it with Izuku. She wasn't sure what the reason was, but it had stopped her from asking him about it.

Why was that? Because he was a guy or something? But she had Kaminari and Kirishima's numbers, so that didn't make sense. Granted, they weren't as cute as Izuku.

She slapped her free hand over her mouth, despite not saying anything. There it was again! Why did she keep thinking this kind of stuff?

Mina gulped. She was starting to recognize this feeling. She hadn't experienced it in a couple years, but… This was typically how a crush started for her.

"Oh no…" She felt heat in her face. Was this really happening?

"Mina? Yo, Mina!" Hearing her name, Mina quickly abandoned the thought as she looked to see Kirishima. She smiled, waving to her friend.

"'Sup, horn buddy?"

"Eh, just checking out shops, figuring out what I still need." The spiky-haired redhead paused. "Seriously, I can't believe we're gonna be going to this camp thing after all! Totally sweet, right? Well, asides from the whole extra lessons thing…" Kirishima's enthusiasm was quickly replaced with slight dread.

"Oh, don't be like that. The fact that we're going at all is already crazy."

"Yeah, but still…"

"I'm kind of looking forward to the extra work, honestly," The hardening quirk user looked at her friend like she had grown a second head.

"Uh… Who are you and what did you do to Mina?" He asked. "You're _looking forward_ to doing work?" Mina rolled her eyes.

"Ha ha ha," she fake-laughed. Her smile suddenly dropped. "Yeah, I actually am. I…" She paused. "I kind of had a moment of self-reflection yesterday. Realized I need to make some changes in how I look at things." Before Kirishima could ask more, she decided to change topics. "By the way, did you happen to see Midoriya anywhere? I was supposed to meet back up with him here, but he's not around." The spiky-haired boy raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Midoriya? Since when did you hang out with him?" Mina's eyes narrowed a bit.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kirishima raised his hands as if to defend himself.

"Uh, nothing! Just surprising, that's all. You two never really seemed close." Mina closed her eyes, sighing lightly. He wasn't wrong. "But uh, yeah I think I saw him. Looked like he ran into a friend from outside school or something." Mina's eyes opened a bit wider than before. "At least I assume they're not from the school. Didn't really recognize 'em."

The boy kept talking, but Mina wasn't paying attention. A friend from outside school? But Izuku had told her he didn't really have other friends.

The pink-haired junior hero suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Where did you see him?" She interrupted whatever he was saying, her tone less cheery than usual.

"Huh? Oh, he was over that way," Kirishima explained as he pointed in a direction. "Something wr-Hey, wait!" Mina suddenly began fast-walking in that direction. "Mina, what's wrong?" She didn't answer. She couldn't explain it, but something in her gut was saying Izuku was in trouble.

After a few minutes, Mina rounded stopped at the top of a staircase leading to a small longue area. She scanned it for any sign of her friend.

"Where are you… Aha!" Her eyes rested on a bench a short distance from said lounge, where she spotted a familiar green and black hairdo. Izuku Midoriya was sitting on the bench, with a tall hooded figure next to him. The two seemed to be having a conversation, with the hooded person's right arm around Izuku's shoulder. They were perpendicular to her position, so she was getting a side view of both of them.

At first glance, it didn't seem unusual. But as Mina continued to look, she noticed Izuku's face and body language were very unusual. He was very tense, and his eyes occasionally darted around. His face wasn't the usual awkward, nervous one he often wore; the yellow-eyed girl had seen enough of that expression today to know this wasn't taht. This was very different, like he was afraid of something.

She saw him shift his body slightly. The figure seemed to respond to this, pulling him slightly closer. In the movement, however, she saw something that told her everything else she needed to know.

The hooded person's hand was grasping at Izuku's throat.

Mina suddenly found herself leaping at the stairway's railing, and activating her quirk to slide down it like she was grinding on a skateboard. She subconsciously went for the least potent acid she could muster, making it little more than a green goo. This display caused quite a reaction from the dozens of people on the stairway.

She slid down the railing, leaping onto the floor below without skipping a beat. There was no thought process behind her actions; her body had simply begun moving on its own. She dashed towards Izuku's captor, readying a fist.

* * *

"…What's the difference between you two?" Izuku repeated Shigaraki's question back to him.

After dragging him off to a somewhat isolated bench, the hooded villain had begun to have his "chat". At first, it was a lot of nonsense about heroes, violence, and society. A madman's ramblings, Izuku figured. He only half-paid attention, desperately looking for a way out of his situation. If Shigaraki dropped his guard for even a second…

As soon as the Hero Killer came up, though, Izuku had his full attention.

As it turned out, Stain had not actually been with the League of Villains. And his notoriety was upsetting Shigaraki. He had expressed dismay that nobody was talking about his villainous acts, whether it was the USJ attack or the Nomu outbreak at Hosu. And so he asked Izuku a simple question: What made Stain different from Shigaraki?

"You're both villains, and you've both done unforgivable things… But the Hero Killer, I could at least understand him." He recalled Stain's final words before he was defeated. "We were both inspired by All Might." Shigaraki stayed quiet, prompting the boy to continue. "He.. He didn't just kill because he wanted to. He even saved my life." Despite his fear, despite the sweat on his face, Izuku managed to look the League of Villains' leader in the eye. "I can't condone his actions, but he lived according to an ideal!"

For a moment, Shigaraki was stunned. Izuku wasted no time, and tried to pull away. Before he could, the villain suddenly tightened his grip, pulling his captive closer.

"Ah… Now I get it," he muttered. "Why both you and the Hero Killer get me so pissed off." Izuku felt the fingers on his throat digging deeper. "It's all about All Might!" His hand started quivering slightly. "He's the reason for everything! He's why all these people can be so happy and carefree!" There was anger in his voice. His fingers dug even deeper, to the point where Izuku was struggling to breath. Abandoning all subtlety, the boy began pulling at Shigaraki's arm, trying to pry himself loose before the villain completely lost it.

"Nngg…"

"Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?" The madman looked back at Izuku. "Didn't I tell you what would happen if you tried anything, hero?" He slowly lowered his final finger towards the boy's throat.

Suddenly, his head snapped to his left. Izuku turned to where he was looking.

His eyes widened in shock as he saw what had gotten Shigaraki's attention.

"LET HIM GO!" Mina screamed, charging full sprint towards the villain. She was upon him a half-second later, her right fist flying towards his face.

It never reached its target though. Izuku felt his entire body lurch as, in the blink of an eye, Shigaraki sprang to his feet, caught the punch with his left hand and swept his attacker's legs out from under her. As Mina landed on her stomach, she felt a shoe dig into her back before she could react, pinning her.

The color drained from the now-standing Izuku's face. Shigaraki's hand was still holding his throat.

"Hey now, that wasn't very nice," the villain said to Mina, his hand still grasping her fist. "A surprise attack like that? And you call yourself a hero?" Mina was trying to pull away, but the grip held. Izuku saw cracks starting to form on Mina's hand.

No…!

Everything seemed to slow down. Izuku started to reach for the hand around his throat as One for All began to activate. Shigaraki was distracted, and his grip had loosened. He needed to get free. He needed to stop this villain!

More cracks were forming. Izuku clenched his teeth as he grabbed hold of the hand and pulled.

Even more cracks. Shigaraki's head snapped back to his original target, his eyes manic. Izuku felt the hand's grip on his beck tightening again.

No!

He swore he felt his throat grow dry. Lightning was coursing through him as his power surged.

Pieces of Mina's skin were starting to flake away, revealing blood and muscle underneath.

"MINA!" Despite the vice-like grip now on his neck, Izuku still screamed, shutting his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch more. He readied himself to unleash the full force of One for All on Shigaraki, not caring about the consequences.

Then, without warning, Izuku felt himself falling backwards. He no longer felt skin against his throat. Reacting immediately, he braced and caught himself, panting. Shigaraki was now recoiling away from him and Mina.

And he was shrieking in pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The villain's cry was deafening as he clutched his left hand with his right. Izuku could see what looked like smoke rising from his hand. There was a faint sizzling sound coming from it, and a noxious smell started to fill the boy's nostrils.

His gaze turned to Mina, who was now sitting up, her left arm cradling her right hand against her chest. He couldn't see it from this angle. What he did see, though, was a few droplets of greenish liquid falling from it, eating tiny, smoking holes into the floor.

Acid. Highly corrosive acid at that.

The same acid that was now destroying Shigaraki's hand.

He quickly made his way to her, the lightning in his body dissipating as his quirk deactivated. He knelt down so he was eye level with her.

"Mina…?" She didn't look up, but spoke.

"…Don't… Let… Escape…" She spoke through clenched teeth. Her voice was shaky, like she was struggling to say even those words.

"Escape? Ah!" His head whipped around.

Shigaraki was gone. Izuku stood, frantically scanning for any sign of him. He barely managed to catch sight of a black hood far in the distance before it disappeared around a corner.

Damn it…

Knowing there was nothing more he could do, Izuku returned his attention to the girl at his feet. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be fine, help's on the way!" he assured her. From here he was able to get a look at her right hand. From the wrist down, almost all the skin was missing. Blood was starting to soak through her shirt.

"Aw, man…" Mina turned her head up. Her eyes were closed, but Izuku could see she was fighting back tears. Despite the extreme pain she was clearly in, she somehow managed to force a smile. "This was… My favorite shirt…!"

Izuku could feel tears forming in his eyes. This was because of him. If he hadn't gotten caught, or if he had been able to act a bit quicker…

"Hey… Don't give me… That face…" Mina's eyes were open now. "Heroes… Need to smile… Even when things look bad… Right?" A tear fell from her eye. She was still shaking in fear. The pain on her face was clear, and yet her smile didn't break.

He had said the same thing to her yesterday.

Izuku rubbed his eyes with an arm, and forced himself to smile.

"Y-Yeah, you're r-right. They do." He couldn't keep back his tears for long, but still he kept smiling. "Just… Just hold on, okay?" The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.

* * *

Shigaraki leaned against the alley wall, catching his breath. He had managed to escape the mall and slip into an alley before any heroes or law enforcement arrived on the scene. All that was left was to lay low until the heat was off.

He looked down at his left hand. It was covered in heavy burns and blisters. He winced, the pain still fresh.

He scratched at his neck with his right hand, eyes twitching as he glared at the burned hand.

"That damn pink brat… Who the hell does she think she is?" He growled. His whole body was shaking. He recalled the name Izuku had shouted. "Mina…" He practically spat the name out. "Mina Ashido and Izuku Midoriya... I swear, the next time I see either of you…" His right hand grabbed at a small trash can sitting next to him, which promptly crumbled to dust. "I'll make sure it _hurts_!"

* * *

This chapter was a bit tougher for me, so I apologize if it doesn't feel as strong. I can't promise the next update will be as fast as this, but I'll do what I can. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Figuring Things Out

Before we continue, I want to take this time to give a shout-out to DominoMags. Their stories "Walk in the Park" and "Dagobah Sunset" were what really inspired me to start writing this, though the rest of their works are just as good. If you somehow found my story without knowing about this author, check them out for plenty of Izuku/Mina goodness and more.

Now on with the story.

* * *

Mina was never a fan of hospitals.

Given her… Adventurous personality, the she had injured herself more than a few times during her childhood. A broken arm after falling from a tree, a twisted foot after jumping from a swing just a little too high, acid burns when she was first using her quirk just a bit too much… Mina was no stranger to the medical world.

The main thing that bothered her was all the waiting around. Mina wasn't one to sit still for hours at a time; it was one reason she struggled so much in school. Today was no different.

"Seriously? I have to be here another _2 hours?_ But I feel fine!" Mina whined as she sat up in her bed. She was currently in a hospital room, a cast over her right hand and wrist. With her in the room was Chiyo Shuzenji, more commonly known by her hero name, Recovery Girl. While she was currently employed at U.A. as a nurse, she frequently volunteered at various clinics and hospitals in her spare time. This was one such occasion.

"We need to make sure there aren't any additional effects from that villain's quirk. Besides, you need to rest while your body repairs itself," Recovery Girl stated. She had only shown up a few moments ago, and had just finished applying her healing Quirk to the injured student.

"But I…" Mina yawned before she could finish her sentence. She suddenly felt incredibly drowsy.

"Like I said before, my Quirk speeds up your body's natural healing, which means your stamina will greatly diminished. You need to rest." The woman's stubborn patient flopped back down in bed, groaning in frustration. "If you don't like it, then next time you should think twice about charging into such a dangerous situation." Recovery Girl wagged a finger as she scolded the girl. "Honestly, you're lucky your injury wasn't worse!"

"And what was I supposed to do? Let that asshole do whatever he was going to do to my friend?" Mina leaned her head up slightly to look at the nurse as she spoke.

"Language, young lady!"

"…Right, sorry," Mina looked away, slightly intimidated by the older woman's stern look. "I just… I had to do something. I saw Midoriya was in trouble, and my body just kind of started moving. I wasn't really thinking about my own safety." Recovery Girl sighed.

"You sound just like him, you know. Always hurling himself at danger to protect others…" The sound of the door opening caused both Quirk users to turn their heads.

Mina smiled as she saw who it was.

"Ashido!" Izuku practically ran into the room. He looked both incredibly worried, yet incredibly relieved at the same time. "How are you fe-OW!"

He felt a sharp pain as something struck the back of his head.

"Izuku Midoriya, what do I keep telling you about acting so recklessly?" Recovery Girl jabbed her cane at the boy as she began to lecture him. "It was bad enough when you were hurting your own body, but now your self-destructive behavior is starting to rub off on your classmates!" She sounded absolutely furious.

"N-N-No, I-I didn't…" Izuku was flailing his arms in front of his face as he desperately tried to explain.

"Honestly, I have half a mind to…"

Mina watched her classmate get chewed out by the normally calm nurse. Evidently the two of them knew each other very well. Given how Izuku's Quirk worked, Mina wasn't exactly surprised.

After about a minute of scolding, Recovery Girl sighed as she placed both hands atop her cane.

"A hero needs to be willing to risk their lives, I know… But remember you're still just a child." She turned to Mina. "The same goes for you, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am." Mina nodded, not wanting to invite the healer's wrath. Recovery Girl smiled softly.

"Good. Now get some rest," she instructed as she left the room. Mina wasn't the only patient she needed to see, after all. Izuku approached the left side of the bed, still looking a bit shaken by his verbal thrashing.

"Man, she really has it in for you, huh?" Mina asked with a smirk.

"Uh, heh… She means well, but she's not r-really a fan of how much I need to see her," Izuku admitted. He gently rubbed the back of his head, wincing a bit. "Man, that cane hurts…" Mina giggled at this, causing a little red to seep into the boy's cheeks. However, he found himself laughing as well. The situation wasn't exactly funny, per say, but it just felt good to laugh after what they had been through.

Izuku's laughter stopped as he glanced at his bed-ridden friend's cast. Mina also quieted down as she noticed where he was looking.

Laughter or not, the incident at the mall was still fresh on both of their minds.

"How… How is it?" Izuku asked.

"This?" Mina moved her right hand slightly. "Well, it still kind of hurts. And it feels really stiff. But it's definitely getting better." Izuku recalled how her hand looked before the ambulance had taken her, and winced. Mina put on a tough face then, but she had clearly been in a lot of pain. Hearing it was getting better was a big relief.

She yawned. "Recovery Girl's Quirk sure is something." Izuku could tell by her tone that she was tired, a "side effect" of the healing Quirk she had been administered. He was all too familiar with its effects.

"Yeah, it really is." The two were quiet for another few seconds as Mina continued to look at her cast.

"That man..." She started. "Shigaraki, right? His Quirk is…" She shuddered as she recalled the feeling of her skin literally crumbling away. "I guess I'm lucky mine countered it pretty well."

She thought back to how quickly the villain had reacted and countered her attack, and how easily he had overpowered her. She was no match for him, and if her Quirk hadn't been able to get him off like that…

She looked up at Izuku, whose gaze was now directed at the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Mina raised an eyebrow.

"What are _you_ apologizing for?"

"For putting you through all that." He continued to look down. "For not being able to fight him off. For… For not being able to stop him from hurting you." The green-haired boy's hands gripped the side of the bed tightly as he started trembling. "If I had just been a little faster, maybe-

"Midoriya." He felt a hand grab the top of one of his as Mina spoke. He looked up to see she was sitting up, giving him a somewhat stern look. "Don't you _dare_ start blaming yourself for this." It sounded more like an order than anything. "I was the one who charged in like an idiot, remember?" She looked back at her cast. "And this is what I get for not thinking. It was a stupid, reckless move, just like Recovery Girl said. But when I saw you in trouble like that, I just… It was like my body just started moving on its own." Her look shot back at Izuku. "And you know what? I'm glad it did. Because I think my right hand's a little less important than your life!" Izuku was taken aback by Mina's sudden intensity. "So don't you go saying sorry to me. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for making you worry so much."

There was another period of silence as Mina finished her speech. She continued to stare at Izuku with a fiery look in her eyes.

"R-Right. Sorr…" Izuku caught himself. "Got it." He nodded. "But… At least let me say thank you. You saved my life, after all." The injured girl's look softened as she smiled.

"Ah, it was nothing! I know you would've done the same thing for me." Izuku couldn't help but smile at this. She was right, of course; had she been the one in danger, he would have sprung into action just like she did. He knew exactly what she meant when she said her body had "moved on its own"; it was something he had experienced many times in the past. It was a trait that, as All Might once told him, all great heroes shared.

Mina really was something.

As he smiled at the her, Izuku suddenly became aware of the warm grip on his hand. Mina seemed to notice it too as both looked down.

Mina's hand was still grasping Izuku's. What's more, both hands had actually moved so that their fingers were interlocking and their palms were pressed together.

As the two of them realized what they were doing, both immediately felt their faces catch fire. They quickly separated their hands, looking away from each other.

"S-S-Sorry! I-I d-d-don't kn-know how th-that happened!" Izuku squeaked, his tongue feeling like putty.

"…Y-Yeah, same." Mina wasn't doing much better.

A deafening silence filled the room for a few moments.

"A-A-Anyways, I-I should p-probably let you r-rest…!" Izuku managed to say as he made for the door.

"Y-yeah, sounds g-good."

"S-See you l-later, A-Ashido!" The stuttering boy opened the door, but stopped in the doorway. "O-Oh, I mean… M-Mina…"

"See you around… Izuku."

Hearing his first name only made his blush deepen. He left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mina let out a loud sigh as she laid back down in her bed. When had their hands done that? _Why_ had their hands done that?

Her mind drifted back to earlier that day, all those stray thoughts she kept having about Izuku. All these familiar feelings she had been having…

Did she really have a crush on Izuku?

The horned girl yawned again. Her eyes were getting heavy. She was way too tired to think about this kind of stuff right now.

She let herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

"So, it doesn't hurt or nothing?" Kaminari asked.

"Not really, no." Mina replied, taking a bite of her food.

"So why do you gotta keep it on? Seems like a pain," Kirishima said, looking at his friend's hand.

"You're telling me! Do you know hard it is to do… Anything without my good hand?" Mina gestured to her body. "I seriously couldn't even get dressed by myself. But I have to keep the cast on until tomorrow because it may not be done healing. You'd be surprised how long it takes all the skin on your hand to grow back."

"We're trying to eat here," Jirou reminded her, a somewhat disgusted look on her face.

It was the day after the incident at the mall, and the true final day of school for the semester. While the hero course had finished its finals up two days ago, some of the other programs still had exams to finish. While these "extra" days hadn't been too work intensive for Class 1-A, Mr. Aizawa wasn't one to let his students slack.

Mina was currently enjoying lunch with Kirishima, Kaminari, Jirou, and Tsuyu, her normal group of friends. Like most of the class that day, they had all been talking about her and Midoriya's encounter with Shigaraki, and the injury Mina had sustained as a result. While the pink haired girl was still slightly shaken by her "fight" with the villain, she was more than willing to talk about it. She was going to be a hero, after all, and dangerous situations like that were going to be a frequent occurrence.

But still, a lot sure had happened yesterday.

After her nap in the hospital, some members of the police had come by to question her about the incident, as well as give a brief lecture about public Quirk use. While they were willing to accept her the use of her Quirk against her assailant as self-defense, her using it to slide down the railing was a little more problematic. In the end, she hadn't caused any real damage so they let it go, but she had been issued a stern warning nonetheless.

Frankly, Mina found the whole thing to be ridiculous. She and Midoriya could have been killed, and the police were concerned that she dirtied up a railing?

Afterwards, her family had shown up to bring her home. She was simultaneously scolded for her rash behavior, commended for her courage, and coddled for being okay in the end, which had made for a crazy evening.

And of course, there was him…

As her friends went on about her cast, Mina found herself looking over at the table Midoriya was sitting at. He was currently chatting with Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki, as usual. She sighed to herself as she gazed at the boy she had fallen for.

Yes, Mina had thought a lot about Midoriya last night after their "moment" in the hospital room. Despite only really knowing him for about two days, she had come to accept that she was starting to develop feelings for her new friend. Whether they had come from her appreciation for the compassion he showed her in the classroom that day, her admiration for him after hearing about his past, or the fact that she just found him so damn cute, she wasn't sure. Likely all of the above.

It made her giddy just thinking about it. Mina had had a few crushes before, but those were way back when she didn't fully understand what they meant. Those had gone away as quickly as they came. This though? Mina wasn't so sure.

And she had no idea what to do. It was why she hadn't gone over to sit with him. In fact, she had avoided him most of the day.

"Hey, you still with us?" Kirishima waved a hand in front of Mina's face.

"Hm? What?" Crap, had he seen her? "Sorry, kinda spaced out there didn't I?"

"Yeah, and more than usual," The redhead joked. "We were just talking about our summer plans. We got a week before camp, after all."

"Yeah, I plan to hit up the beach a bunch next week. Maybe pick up a hot babe or two," Kaminari said with a grin.

"Yeah, I bet they'll love your whole 'drooling idiot' routine. _Total_ chick magnet," Jirou chimed in, doing her best impression of the electric Quirk user after his brain "fried".

"Oh shut up!" He snapped.

"I'll mostly be hitting up the gym. A man's gotta stay in shape, after all." Kirishima pointed at himself with his thumb, smiling.

"I'll probably be helping out at home. My parents need all the help they can get, ribbit," Tsuyu croaked.

"I'm actually hitting up a concert with some old friends this week. We got front row seats in everything!" The excitement was clear in Jirou's voice.

"Woah, that sounds awesome!" Kaminari turned to Mina. "How about you, Mina?"

"Oh, well uh… I was thinking I should catch up on studying." The whole table fell silent as they gawked at the pink girl. "What?"

"…Come again?" Kaminari turned his head.

"Yeah, uh… What?" Jirou almost looked concerned something was wrong with her friend.

"I think that villain's Quirk might have messed with your brain or something." Tsuyu sounded as if genuinely believed what she just said. Mina's cheeks turned magenta.

"I-Is it really that strange?" She asked, crossing her arms as she looked away from the group slightly.

"From you? Yeah, it totally is!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"I don't even think you have any notes to study with," Tsuyu noted, a finger on her chin. Knowing her it wasn't meant to come off as an insult, but everyone laughed nonetheless.

Kirishima remained silent.

"Kn-Knock it off already…" Mina grumbled. "Look, these finals made me realize I need to quit slacking off so much. It's not exactly fun being at the bottom of the class, you know."

"I can understand that." Tsuyu nodded. "Hey Kaminari, maybe you should study too. You're not doing that much better than Mina, ribbit."

"H-Hey! Don't turn this on me!" The brunette yelled at the frog girl. "But… Maybe she's got a point," he admitted with a sigh.

Before the conversation could continue, the bell rang, indicating lunch was over. The students quickly finished off the rest of their food before getting up to return to class.

As Mina stepped into the hallway, though, she felt a finger tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see Kirishima standing behind.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

* * *

Izuku yawned. The day was only halfway over, but he was past ready to go home. He took another bite of his rice.

"Are you sure you're alright, Midoriya?" Iida asked, worry in his voice. "You don't look well."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Izuku yawned again. "Just didn't really get a lot of sleep, that's all."

"Yeah, I'd probably have trouble sleeping too after what you went through," Uraraka pointed out, frowning. "God, I can't imagine how scary that must have been…"

"I still can't believe such a high-profile villain was just… Out in public like that," Todoroki said, looking down at the table. His eyes narrowed. "Any one of us could have been taken by him."

It was an unsettling thought.

"Let us focus on the positives. Both Midoriya and Ashido are alright, after all," Iida reminded his classmates.

Mina…

Izuku found his mind wandering at the mention of the girl.

While meeting Shigaraki again had certainly been part of why he had trouble sleeping, what really kept the One for All inheritor up last night was her.

After that awkward moment in the hospital, he hadn't been able to get Mina out of his head for the rest of the day. Even now, just thinking about their hands holding each other like that made his chest tighten.

How long had their hands been like that? Why were they like that? Why did it take so long to notice? Those questions plagued Izuku throughout yesterday, as well as many others.

For instance, why he kept finding himself just… Staring at her. Like in the hospital right before they noticed they were holding hands. Or at the mall, when he was practically hypnotized by her eyes.

Or right now, in the cafeteria.

Izuku became aware of the fact that he had been looking over at Mina since this train of thought started.

Izuku quickly turned back to the table, feeling slightly ashamed. Why did this keep happening? Was this how Mineta started out? Was Izuku's constant ogling a sign that he was turning into some kind of gross pervert? He had so little experience when it came to dealing with girls… Maybe this was actually a normal thing? Maybe every guy secretly thought this stuff?

"Deku?"

"Ah!" Izuku jumped as he felt someone tap his shoulder. Uraraka pulled her hand back, a bit surprised by his reaction. Todoroki and Iida friends simply stared in confusion at their jumpy friend. "Um…" Izuku cleared his throat, trying to hide his blush. "S-Sorry, what?"

"Just making sure you're still here, sleepyhead," Uraraka joked, laughing a bit. The group was pretty used to Izuku's awkward behavior, so they ultimately didn't think much of his strange reaction.

"Y-yeah, just… Still thinking about yesterday, I guess."

"Ah, that explains why you were looking so intently at Ashido," Iida said, stroking his chin in thought. Izuku's eyes went wide. He'd noticed? "It's only natural you'd be worried about her after seeing what happened first hand, after all."

Well, that wasn't false. But at least he hadn't assumed it was something less noble.

"Actually, I wanted to ask…" Uraraka spoke up. "Why were you hanging out with Mina anyway? I didn't think you two really knew each other that well." There was something strange about her tone.

Izuku froze up.

"U-Uh, well…" He scrambled to think of an explanation. "Y-You see, um… I was kind of having trouble finding my way around, and, um, Ashido just sort of bumped into me and decided to, well, show me around." Technically, he was telling the truth.

"I would not say it's so unusual," Iida added. "Ashido is a very sociable person, after all. And our class gets along very well with each other. Well, perhaps with the exception of Bakugou."

"Fair enough," Uraraka seemed satisfied with this. Izuku couldn't help but wonder why she had brought it up. He supposed it was a little strange to see him and Mina together.

However, thinking about Uraraka made Izuku realize something. All those weird thoughts he was just having about Mina… He hadn't ever thought about Uraraka like that, despite how long he had known her. He had initially been nervous around her just because she was one of the first girls – heck, first _friends_ – he had really talked to, but as they became friends he found himself not thinking much of it. But even when he was first getting to know her, he had never thought about her the same way he was thinking about Mina now. And outside that one time he saw he saw Uraraka's costume for the first time, he had never looked at her the way he kept catching himself looking at Mina.

Really, he hadn't thought about this stuff with any of the other girls in his class.

What did this mean? What was going on? He couldn't possibly… No, that couldn't be right.

The bell ringing pulled him back to reality. Shaking his head, he cleaned up his spot at the table and headed to class, his mind still full of questions.

* * *

The hallway was bustling as the students of U.A. began returning to their classes. Kirishima and Mina were standing off to the side by a window, out of the way of the school traffic.

"So what's up?" Mina asked. Kirishima hadn't said much after asking to talk; he had simply told her to follow him out in the hall to where they were standing now.

The redhead looked at his middle school friend for a second, trying to think of how to approach the topic he wanted to discuss. He quickly settled on his usual style.

"Is there something going on between you and Midoriya?"

That style of course being as direct as possible. Mina's brain took a moment to fully comprehend what he just asked.

"…WHAT!?" She shouted, causing a few nearby students to glance over. She covered her mouth, waiting for them to look away before continuing. "What are you talking about?" Her face was a deep magenta.

"Come on, Mina, you're not exactly being subtle about it. You've been sneaking looks at the guy all day," he said, crossing his arms. Mina looked down. So he had seen all that. "Plus, you getting all defensive when I asked why you were with him yesterday was a little weird." He also couldn't help but feel Midoriya had something to do with her sudden interest in academics, but he didn't feel the need to bring it up.

"…Even if there was, why do you care?" Clearly, Mina was annoyed with him butting into her private business.

"I know, I know, this is personal stuff I'm asking about." The sharp-toothed boy leaned against the wall. "It's why I didn't want to bring it up around the others. But you seemed off today, so I just wanted to make sure everything's okay." Mina sighed. He had all the tact of, well, a rock, but she had known Kirishima long enough to understand he was asking this because he cared about his friend.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said softly. "And… Well, no, there isn't anything going on with me and Midoriya." She took a deep breath. "But…"

"You want there to be something, right?" Mina blushed again.

"…Yeah." He knew it. "I know, it's stupid…"

"Stupid? What? Nah. Just a little surprising, that's all," he assured his pink friend. "I mean, you've barely spoken to the guy."

"Well, I'm still sort of figuring it out. But this all started after our finals." Mina decided talking about this with someone might help her get a better idea of what to do. Kirishima seemed to wince at the mention of the exams. He had failed as well, after all. "I was… Not happy with myself, to say the least." She thought back to that dark, dark place she had been after the practical. How worthless she felt. How hopeless she felt. "Not just about the exam, just about… Everything. I didn't feel like I had made any progress this semester, and when I saw how far everyone else had come I just… I was starting to think I should just drop out." She shuddered; she never wanted to experience those feelings ever again.

"Shit… I wasn't too proud of myself either, but..." He could just tell by her tone how awful she must have felt.

"But, wouldn't you know it, someone managed to snap me out of it."

"Let me guess, Midoriya right?" Kirishima couldn't help but smile. The little guy had a way of being able to fire up his classmates. He was starting to understand. "That sounds like him, alright." Mina chuckled.

"Yeah." She paused. "He… He shared some pretty personal stuff me about himself. Made me realize I shouldn't be giving up over a couple bad grades." She didn't feel like it was appropriate to go into detail about what Izuku had told her. Fortunately, Kirishima didn't press. "After that, I decided I wanted to get to know him a little more. As a friend." She rubbed her arm. "At least, at first. But I'm starting to realize I might want to be more than just his friend."

"You _might_?" Kirishima raised an eyebrow.

"L-Like I said, I'm still sort of figuring stuff out." She sighed again. "I'm just… Not sure what to do."

"Why not just ask him out?" The redhead asked without a second thought.

"SShh!" Mina rapidly waved her hands downwards, looking around to make sure nobody had heard him. "Tell the whole school, why don't you?"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, a sheepish smile on his face. Mina couldn't help but feel he had done that to mess with her.

"And I can't just do that! We've only known each other for like two days now, and well… You know how Midoriya is. I don't think I can be that direct with him without freaking him out." Izuku's social awkwardness and tendency to overreact in emotional situations were well documented in Class 1-A. "Besides, I'm still not entirely sure how I'm feeling. Like, I'm pretty sure I like him… But I want to spend a bit more time with him first. Just to be sure it's real, you know?"

"Er, yeah, sure!" Kirishima wasn't exactly sure what she meant, but he was never good at dealing with emotional stuff. Still, he wanted to help his friend. "Hm…" He snapped his fingers as an idea formed in his head. "Why not ask him to help you study this week?" Mina turned her head slightly, confused. "I mean, you said you wanted to focus on school stuff right before the camp, right? Midoriya's a pretty smart guy, I'm sure he'd be a big help." Mina blinked a few times. That actually wasn't a bad idea. She could work on getting her grades up for next semester, and simultaneously spend some alone time with Izuku to get a better grasp on her feelings for him. Then, when the time was right, she could make her move.

She beamed. It was the perfect plan.

"Holy crap, you're a genius, horn buddy!" She knocked on his head. "Guess you're not as dumb as you look."

"Hey, like you're one to talk," Kirishima remarked, giving her a light push. He was also smiling, though.

"Ok, ok… Maybe I can talk to him after class and… Oh, shit!" Mina looked at her phone. "We're gonna be late, come on!" She had a feeling Mr. Aizawa wouldn't care if it was the last day of class, late was late to him.

Kirishima watched her take off. He laughed to himself.

"Mina and Midoriya, huh? Can't say I saw that one coming." He silently wished his friend luck; he wasn't even sure if Midoriya knew what dating meant. Hopefully things worked out.

Or hopefully not.

Kirishima growled, knocking his head back against the wall slightly as he forced that ugly thought out of his head.

"Come on, man, don't be like that." He started walking to class. Midoriya was a good guy, Kirishima knew that. Despite his normally timid demeanor, he had a hero's heart. Possibly more-so than anyone else in the class. Whatever he and Mina talked about the other day, it had obviously made her see the little guy in a new light.

He'd take good care of her.

Besides, Kirishima was a man. And there was nothing manly about being jealous.

* * *

A cheer could be heard throughout the entire school as the final bell rung. The semester had officially come to an end, and the students couldn't be more excited.

"I'll see you all back here in a week. In the meantime, enjoy your summer," Mr. Aizawa finished as he began to put away his materials. Most of Class 1-A was already out of their seats as he spoke, eager to get moving.

Izuku exhaled with relief as he finished putting his notes away. This day had been rough due to his lack of sleep, and he was ready to get home. The fact that he was finally getting a small break from the wonderful insanity that was U.A. was also helping his mood. The question was, what was he going to do with his free time? As he made his way out of the classroom, he pondered his possible options.

Of course, there was training. Just because he was off didn't mean he could slack on that. If he wanted to master One for All he couldn't afford to laze around, after all. But he couldn't just spend the whole week doing that. He couldn't imagine trying to train his Quirk for a week straight; that sounded like pure hell.

He had friends now, too. It was difficult to imagine, but he might actually be able to spend time with other people outside school, like Iida or Uraraka. Maybe even…

"Hey Midoriya!"

Mina.

He had been too busy thinking about his plans to realize she had approached him. Naturally, her presence startled him slightly.

"Oh! Hi, Ashido," he greeted. Mina rolled her eyes.

"How many times do we have to go over this?"

"O-Oh, I meant Mina! Sorry…"

"And what did I say about apologizing?"

"Ah! Sor-mmph!" He slapped a hand over his mouth to shut himself up. Less than a minute of talking and she already had him acting like a nervous wreck. She really had a natural talent for it. "A-Anyways!" He looked down at her right hand. "H-How are you feeling?"

"A lot better than yesterday, but this thing's still a huge pain. Can't wait to take it off tonight..." She muttered. "It's pretty rough not being to use your dominant hand for stuff. But you'd know about that, wouldn't you?" She laughed, giving him a playful nudge in the arm with her elbow.

For some reason, the brief contact made Izuku's hair stand on end.

"Haha… Yeah, I guess I would." He had come to class in arm casts more times than he cared to remember.

"Guess that's something else we have in common now! Mina Ashido and Izuku Midoriya, Class 1-A brothers-in-broken-arms!" The two of them laughed. Once again, Mina's bubbly personality had infected Izuku somewhat.

She could always make him smile.

Their laughter died down before Mina continued.

"So actually, I kinda had a favor I wanted to ask, if that's ok." She asked.

"Um… Sure, what is it?" Izuku was a little uncertain given Mina's mischievous nature.

"Well, we've got a week before this camp thing and well… I kinda wanted to get a head start on catching up with school," she explained. "Especially with these 'remedial classes' I'll be doing. Gotta keep my mind sharp, you know?" She poked her forehead a few times. Izuku wasn't sure how this involved him, though he was glad to see she was still committed to improving her grades. "But the thing is, I barely have any notes to go off. And I'm not exactly the brightest girl around, so…" She closed her eyes and put on a big smile. "Would you maybe be willing to help me study? Pretty please?"

Izuku was thrown off by this. Him? Helping her study? Like, like tutoring her? Where would they study with the school closed? A library? A park? One of their houses?

As his imagination went haywire, the image of the two of them studying together in his room formed in his mind.

A girl, alone in his room with him.

Izuku face grew so hot he swore he could feel steam coming out of his ears.

"Midoriya, you're doing it again."

Izuku had been vocalizing all his thoughts just now, mumbling them under his breath. A rather infamous habit. Thankfully he was never coherent enough that his words could be understood, but that didn't make him any less embarrassed.

Watching his reaction to her question, Mina sighed. She had been afraid of this.

"Look, if you don't want to, I get it…"

"S-Sorry!" He suddenly exclaimed. Despite his nervousness, Izuku wasn't opposed to the idea. He wanted to help however he could, and it would be a good mental workout for him. "I-I mean, I'd… I'd be okay with it."

Plus, spending more time with Mina appealed to him. Despite how worked up he could get around her, he was finding that being with her just put him in a good mood. Likely because of all the positivity she radiated.

Because it couldn't be something else, right?

He had only just started getting to know her. He couldn't possibly be feeling anything… Like that for her. That didn't happen to people you just started talking to.

Right?

"B-But wouldn't you want s-someone like Yaoyorozu's help instead?" He admittedly had doubts about being a good tutor.

"Eh… She was helpful, don't get me wrong, but her place was way too flashy for me. Plus, she seemed more focused on being a good host than actually helping us study." Mina appreciated her classmate's help of course; she had passed the written test thanks to the study sessions. But she wasn't thrilled about any one-on-one study sessions with the rich girl.

Besides, half the point of this was to get closer to Izuku.

"Oh. Well, alright then. Wh-When should we meet?"

"Why don't we start… Tomorrow?"

"Huh? So soon!?" Izuku wasn't sure he could be mentally prepared by then.

"Well, we only have a week right? Can't afford to waste any time." She punched the air. "Go beyond, and all that!" Izuku couldn't help but laugh a little at her gusto.

"Alright… Tomorrow." He had a feeling he was going to regret this.

"Sounds good!" She pulled out her phone. "Now let's just exchange numbers so we can figure out…"

She trailed off as someone bumped into Izuku as they walked between the two friends.

"Hey, watch where you're fucking going, loser," a voice growled as they gave Izuku a less-than-friendly push with their shoulder before continuing forward. Mina's eyes narrowed.

Bakugou.

While Mina had never really liked the class's resident hothead, she found herself disliking him even more after Izuku had told her about his past. How he had been bullied throughout his childhood for his supposed Quirkless nature.

Bakugou had called him stuff like "Quirkless loser" before. They clearly knew each other before coming to U.A., but Mina had never really thought about their relationship before. Now she understood he was one of Izuku's bullies from his past.

Just thinking about the fact that a guy who spent his time picking on someone like Izuku was here at U.A. pissed her off. He wasn't a hero, he was just a jerk with a strong Quirk.

"Why don't _you_ watch where you're going?"

Bakugou stopped dead in his tracks. From the corner of her eye, Mina saw Izuku freeze up as well. The explosive student turned his head so one eye was looking at her.

"The fuck you just say?" He snarled with a glare. He sounded equal parts surprised and angry, as if he couldn't comprehend the idea of someone calling him out.

"Mina, it's alright…" Izuku got between the two of them, not wanting to see this escalate. "Let's just go, okay?"

Mina stayed quiet, but glared right back at Bakugou with equal intensity. They stared each other down for a few seconds before the blonde turned back around and kept walking, but not before sending a middle finger in Mina's direction. Mina growled.

"Why do you take that from him?" She asked.

"It's a long story… Kacchan and I, well… He wasn't always like that."

Mina had a _very_ hard time believing that.

"Just… Don't worry, okay? It doesn't really bother me anymore."

Anymore. That's the part that Mina had a problem with. But if he insisted, fine, she'd drop it.

She sighed. That asshole had completely spoiled her good mood.

"So, um… You said something about phone numbers?"

"Oh, right." Mina decided to forget about Bakugou for the moment as she opened her phone. The two exchanged numbers. Of course, Izuku started to freak out a bit as he realized he had just been given a girl's phone number.

"Well, I'll see tomorrow then. We can talk later about a time and place. Bye!" Mina walked off, leaving Izuku to stare at his phone in wonder. She had considered asking to walk with him to the train station, but decided to give him some breathing room. She had to be patient with him, after all.

Izuku looked at the number on his phone for another minute before finally accepting that, yes, Mina Ashido had given him her number.

He had no idea what to expect tomorrow.

As he went back to the main menu of his phone, his eyes widened when he saw the time.

"Crap, my train's gonna be here soon!" He took off in a sprint, not wanting to have to wait for the next ride home.

* * *

A lot of jumping around this chapter, I know. Hopefully It wasn't too tricky to follow. See you next time!


	4. Math Problems are Villains

And we're back. Let's get right to it, shall we?

* * *

Izuku was starting to think he had made a mistake.

Sitting at the desk in his room, the boy poured over the notes he had taken on various subjects this past semester, making sure he had a good enough grasp on the material. Note-taking had been more or less a hobby for Izuku most of his life, so his notebooks were crammed with information. He had a tendency to write down just about anything the teachers brought up, just in case it was important.

He yawned. It was about 11 PM, and the tired teen was actually currently in his pajamas. But despite how tired he had been all day, he had been unable to fall asleep. Just like last night, a swarm of thoughts buzzed in his head, preventing him from dozing off completely. Of course, they were mostly about Mina.

His agreement to help his pink friend study tomorrow was the main source of his insomnia, and the reason he was looking over his notes and books. The more he thought about the whole situation, the less confident he became.

Him? Tutor Mina? He had enough difficulty having regular conversations her. But now he would need to understand how to clearly explain things so she could understand. He couldn't just hand her his notes and expect her to learn everything, after all.

Would he be able to answer whatever questions she had? Could he explain some of the more complicated stuff in an easy-to-understand way? Questions like these were making him doubt himself. Mina was going to be relying on him to help her, and Izuku just wasn't sure how reliable he was.

He sighed. Maybe he should call this off.

He took out his phone and pulled up Mina's number, his thumb hovering over the call button. She was probably still awake.

"Mina, I'm really sorry, but I'm having second thoughts about this…" Izuku practiced what he was going to say. He tried to prepare himself for her response as he moved to hit "call". The phone started ringing.

"…Midoriya?" Her voice could be heard on the other line. "Didn't think you'd still be awake. What's up?"

"O-Oh, u-um well… I just wanted to… Wanted to talk about tomorrow."

"Uh-huh?" He took a quick breath, trying to build up the courage to call off their plans.

He could already hear her disappointment.

Izuku suddenly found himself thinking of their chance encounter the other day. He vividly remembered Mina's cold, depraved demeanor, and how much it had disturbed him. All that disappointment and self-doubt…

"Hello?"

He hesitated. If he told her he had changed his mind, would she think it was because he didn't have faith in her? That he thought trying to help her improve was a waste of his time? That everything he told her that day wasn't really true?

No.

Izuku had faith in Mina. It was why he said what he said to her that day. He shared things he hadn't shared with anyone else because he wanted to show that he believed in her, and that she needed to believe in herself. The fact that she was trying to improve her grades showed that she had taken his words to heart.

Mina had come to him asking for help. She had done so because she trusted him to be able to teach her. And if that was the case, he needed to believe her trust in him was well-placed.

"You fall asleep on me, man?"

"Ah! Sorry, I got distracted," he fibbed.

"No kidding. So what about tomorrow?"

"Um…" Izuku needed to think of something to say. "I was just wondering… What subjects you wanted to focus on?" He was legitimately curious.

"Hm… Haven't really thought about it." Mina didn't seem to suspect anything, which Izuku was grateful for. "To be honest, I'm kinda-sorta struggling with everything…" She clearly didn't sound proud of this fact.

"Oh! Well then, we can figure it out when we meet." The pajama-clad boy yawned again.

"Sounds good. Anyways, you sound exhausted! Get some sleep, will you? I can't have my teacher napping on the job tomorrow." Laughter could be heard from her end. Izuku was glad she wasn't here to see him blush.

"Y-yeah, got it. Well, um, talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yep. 'Night, buddy!"

"Night, Mina." He hung up before realizing he had actually used her first name without realizing it. He instinctively put a hand over his mouth, despite nobody being around. Despite the fact that she had insisted he call her that, Izuku just wasn't used to being so casual with someone, aside from maybe Kacchan. It was unlike him to use first names without thinking about it like that, which is why he was so surprised by it.

He would speculate on why he had done it, but now that he had cleared his self-doubts about tutoring from his mind, his lack of sleep was rapidly catching up to him. He let out yet another yawn and got out of his chair, walking to his bed before practically falling into it.

As he drifted off to sleep, the last thing to pass through his mind was the image of Mina's smiling face.

* * *

A sudden feeling of discomfort roused Mina from her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes, only to shut them even tighter as she found herself blinded by a flash of light.

"Stupid sun," she grumbled, rolling over. A ray of sunlight was shining through a gap in her window's blinds and just so happened to shine right on her face. "Why do you have to be so bright…?" The grogginess in her voice was clear. After unsuccessfully attempting to go back to sleep, she decided she may as well get out of bed.

Sitting up with a yawn, Mina stretched her arms. She looked to the side of her bed at her clock.

10:00 AM. Well, she'd slept in later.

Mina was, clearly, not a morning person. Sleeping in meant she wasn't completely nonfunctional like she tended to be during school, but she was still quite groggy.

Her covers were halfway off the bed, with only her left leg actually under them. It was a fairly common occurrence; Mina tended to get warm at night. For similar reasons, she was also wearing nothing but her undergarments. Again, fairly common for her.

With a bit of effort, she swung her legs off the side of the bed, her feet finding the fuzzy pink slippers she kept there. Slowly, she rose to her feet. Her usual energy was replaced with a mild lethargy. She dragged her tired self to her closet, grabbing a purple bathrobe and covering herself with it, as well as some flannel pants. Once she was decent, she made her way out of her bedroom and downstairs.

It sounded like nobody else was home. Mina supposed she should be thankful her family had let her sleep in. She entered the kitchen and went about making herself breakfast, along with a sizeable cup of coffee. As she moved around, she noticed a sticky note on the coffee maker.

 _Mina, I went to take Makoto to a doctor's appointment. We'll be running errands for a few hours after that, so you'll have the place to yourself for a while. Call me if you plan on leaving the house. Love, Mom_

And written just below this in much cruder writing:

 _And you better not touch my games, or else you'll be in huge trouble! – Makoto_

Mina rolled her eyes. He was really taking every opportunity to rub the fact that he now owned all her games in her face.

Mina's parents were, for the most part, pretty lax. Most people probably wouldn't be surprised to hear this, given her personality. That said, they had their limits. Mina flunking her exam was one of them, and as punishment she had been forced to give Makoto, her younger brother, all of her videogames until she got her grades up. Due to the fact that she rarely let him touch her stuff, he was taking full advantage of the situation, taunting and annoying her about it in all the ways only a little brother could.

While she was already motivated enough to do better in school, getting her games back and shutting him up certainly helped.

Regardless, with her mom and brother off with appointments and errands, and her dad out of town for work, Mina was left alone.

She debated going into Makoto's room and messing up all his saves, just to spite him. But of course, that'd get in her in real hot water. Maybe put all the disks in the wrong cases? If he complained, she'd just lie and say it was him being disorganized. Their mom would probably believe it.

As she sipped her coffee, pondering ways to mess with the little devil that was her brother, she felt her phone buzz. Taking it out, her face brightened as she saw who it was.

"Hello Mina, are you awake?" A text from Izuku read. Mina had temporarily forgotten her plans with the boy due to her half-awake state. She started typing back.

"barely lol"

"Oh, sorry! Did I wake you?" She chuckled at his worried response. Even in text form, Izuku was just so… Izuku.

"nah ur good. just woke up like 10 minutes ago is all" Something told her that her had been up for a lot longer; he seemed like an early riser. "anyways whats up?"

"Well, I just wanted to try to figure out a time and place for us to meet today. I'm helping my mom around the house for a few hours but I should be available around 1." Mina couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between Izuku's messages and hers. She could just imagine him sitting there, meticulously typing his texts out so they looked "proper". Very different from her "use as few keys as possible" style.

He was such a dork. But an adorable dork. Adorkable, if you would.

Disregarding her amusement at the formality of his texts, Mina tried to think of a good place to meet.

"well we could do my place. im home alone at the moment. though it could get awkward if my family comes home to find me alone with a guy from school"

In truth, Mina didn't want to study here. She had no idea when her family would get home, and it would be impossible to focus once they returned. But she knew mentioning the prospect of them being alone in her house would get him rattled. She pictured him once again, his face turning bright red upon reading her message, hands trembling as he read her message.

"Aadneffg"

"I ddidn't mea"

"I didn't mean to send thatt."

"that*"

Mina smirked, the string of erratic responses confirming her vision.

"im just kidding dude. chill" She decided to spare him further torment and ask about his place. His next response took a little time.

"There's a library a few blocks away from my apartment. We could meet there if you want." A library seemed perfect.

"sounds good to me. how about 1:30?"

"That would be fine. I'll send you the address. I'll see you then, Mina!"

"cya midoriya" The pink teen put down her phone, returning to her breakfast. She noticed he had actually called her Mina without needing a reminder.

Progress!

1:30. It was 10:30 now, and she wanted to give herself about an hour to get to the library just to be safe. So, she had about 2 hours to kill. More importantly, 2 hours to mentally prepare herself.

While she had every intention of focusing on getting some actual studying done, Mina wanted to use this chance to get closer to her new crush. The more time she spent thinking about Izuku, the more certain she was about her feelings for him.

Of course, that just made her more nervous about the whole thing. Did he feel similarly about her? She couldn't be sure. He got easily flustered around her, yes, but that could be chalked up to his natural awkwardness around girls. According to Uraraka, he had acted very similar towards her at first, yet the two of them seemed to be nothing more than good friends at this point.

She obviously couldn't ask him about his feelings directly. A question like "Do you like me?" would likely make the poor boy faint on the spot. Confessing her own feelings would likely cause a similar result. At the same time, in the unlikely event he actually did feel something for her, Mina doubted he would ever bring it up. She had to make the first move one way or another.

She needed to be subtle. Make an occasional comment or gesture that hinted at her attraction towards him. Unfortunately, subtlety was never Mina's strong suit. And what if he just didn't get it? She didn't want to make things awkward between them. Her biggest fear was losing him as a friend because of all this. But at the same time, she was the kind of person who couldn't just bury her feelings. Just trying to ignore this crush was not an option.

The robed girl sighed, rubbing her temples. It was too early to think about all this.

As she finished her breakfast, she contemplated what to do for the next few hours. She eventually decided to go for a run to at least try to clear her head for a bit.

Today was certainly going to be interesting.

* * *

Izuku stood outside the library, nervously looking around. It was just past 1:30, and Mina would be arriving any minute. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and tan shorts due to the warm weather, with a backpack stuffed full of study materials. He couldn't help but think that just one year ago, he would have found the amount of weight currently on his back unbearable. But after his training with All Might, it didn't feel remotely heavy. It gave him a sense of pride, something rare for the One for All inheritor.

Unfortunately, that didn't help calm his nerves much. He was still quite anxious about the prospect of tutoring someone. But he had told Mina he would do it, and he intended to go through with it.

Izuku felt his chest tighten slightly as he spotted a pink figure in the distance.

"Oh god, she's here…" He muttered. No matter how much he tried to prepare himself for this, the fact was he was spending his afternoon alone with a girl. Spending time with Mina at the mall was one thing; that had at least been a class trip. But this was just the two of them, alone. For whatever reason, that made it feel more… Personal to Izuku. More intimate.

Naturally, that was doing wonders for his anxiety.

"Calm down," he told himself, taking a deep breath. "You're just here to study, that's all. There's nothing else going on here. Just a couple friends studying together. Guys and girls hang out like this all the time, it's nothing weird."

"You really like talking to yourself, don't you?" Mina's voice interjected. Izuku had apparently been lost in his thoughts long enough for Mina to reach him. Flinching a bit at the sudden voice, Izuku quickly turned away from his friend to hide the embarrassment on his face.

"It's… It's an old habit." He turned to face her, only to immediately look away again.

Mina was currently wearing a lime-green tank top and white shorts that went about halfway to her knees. The outfit was quite snug, and there was a gap between her shirt and shorts, leaving her midriff exposed.

A lot of skin was showing, in other words. Izuku's face was heating up.

"What's the matter? Like what you see?" Mina's teasing voice asked, raising his body temperature even more. What was happening?

"I… I…" This was getting ridiculous. He needed to snap out of it. Just turn around and don't think about it, that's all.

Mustering up his courage, he turned back to face her, doing everything in his power to keep his eyes on her face.

"D-Did you find this place alright?" He asked, trying to completely steer the conversation away from the subject of her clothing.

"Yeah, sorry I'm a little late. Train station was crowded." Mina could clearly see Izuku was trying as hard as he could to keep eye contact, with a hint of a blush still on his face. While she had primarily chosen this outfit due to the hot weather, getting this kind of reaction from him was a nice bonus. She decided not to mess with him at the moment. "Anyway, shall we get started, teach?"

"T-Teach?"

"Y'know, teacher? Or should I call you 'Mr. Midoriya'? Dr. Deku maybe?" She giggled at her alliterations. "Or… How about-

"J-Just call me Izuku, please!" Izuku suddenly blurted out.

Both were silent for a moment. Mina cocked her head.

"Really?" She asked. Nobody called Izuku by his first name, to her knowledge. Uraraka and Bakugou called him "Deku", sure, but that was it. Mina had no problem with people using her first name, but she was a lot less informal than the boy standing in front of her. She was surprised, to say the least.

"Well… Y-You let me call you by your first name, right? Besides, you've called me that a couple times now…" Izuku wasn't really sure why he was saying this. He tried to stay formal with even close friends. Yet those few times Mina – consciously or not – had called him "Izuku", he had felt… Something. He felt an awkward embarrassment for being addressed so informally, of course, but there was something else. Whatever it was, it made him… Happy.

Whatever that feeling was, he wanted more of it.

"Well alright, Izuku it is!" She said with a smile.

There it was.

That warm, tingly feeling in his chest, different from the usual tightness he experienced when he got nervous. Izuku couldn't help but smile at the sensation. He had no idea why Mina addressing him by his first name made him feel this way.

Well, there was one possible reason. But Izuku refused to even think about that.

Once again, they were just a couple of friends hanging out at the library. Nothing else.

"Well?" Mina asked.

"Oh, right! Let's go find a spot," Izuku suggested. The two entered the library.

* * *

Mina sat down as Izuku began unpacking his backpack. The two had found a small reading room that was vacant, and promptly taken it. It had a small table with some chairs in the middle, making it an ideal spot.

"Alright," Izuku said as he finished organizing everything, taking a seat next to Mina. "Um… What do you want to start with?" He found it a little easier to keep calm now that he could focus on something other than the girl next to him. Mina leaned back, putting a finger to her chin.

"Well… Well like I said, I'm pretty behind on just about everything, but… Maybe math?" It was quite possibly the toughest subject for her, and she wanted to start strong.

"Ok, we can do that. Any particular things you had in mind? Matrices? Vectors? Conic sections maybe?" Mina stared blankly at him. "Um… You do remember what that all is, right…?"

"Which one of those was the stuff with triangles? I got a couple notes on that stuff in here somewhere…" Mina flipped through her math notes.

"Um… That's trigonometry, Mina…" Izuku tried to hide the exasperation he was feeling. Mina snapped her fingers.

"Right, right." She reached the end of her notes. "Weird, I swear I wrote some of that down." Izuku couldn't help but notice she only had notes for about 20 pages or so. "Can I see your notes? Maybe I'm just forgetting exactly what that was." Izuku reluctantly handed her his math notebook, watching as she started reading through it. He noticed her expression change to one of confusion as she turned several pages. After several more she almost looked… Scared?

"Ha, you um… You've got a lot written down here, don't you?" Her voice sounded a little weaker than usual.

It seemed neither of them had fully appreciated just how much work this was going to be for both of them.

"Well… I am bottom of the class for a reason…" Mina said with a big sigh, looking a bit disheartened. "Don't think I retained a bunch from those cram sessions for the finals either."

"D-Don't worry about it," Izuku tried to assure her. "We just need to spend some extra time on stuff, that's all." This was going to challenging, but he wasn't going to let that deter him.

"Yeah, I know." Mina managed a smile. She wasn't letting this get to her either. "Besides, this just means there's nowhere to go but up, right?" She joked, laughing.

"Ha… Right." That was certainly one way of looking at it. Izuku couldn't help but admire Mina's way of seeing things. She always tried to focus on positives, even in what to most people seemed like a bleak situation. It reminded him of All Might in a lot of ways.

It was one of the many things he found so attractive about her.

"Well, why don't we start with trigonometry then?" The green-haired boy suggested, trying to ignore that last thought. Besides, they had a lot of work to do.

"Sounds like as good a place as any. Let's get started… Izuku."

Her classmate ignored that familiar feeling in his chest and opened his notebook.

* * *

It hadn't even been an hour and the two students had already hit a wall.

"Seriously!? How is that wrong!?" She shouted, slamming her hand on the table. Izuku winced at the sudden outburst.

His strategy had been to review each section with Mina, then give her a few practice problems to try. At first, things seemed to be going okay; Mina seemed to have an easier time following his "lesson" in a one-on-one setting than a classroom full of students.

But she quickly started to lose focus. No matter how much she wanted to pay attention, something about hearing Izuku go on about triangles just made her eyes glaze over. It was almost like an automatic response her brain had developed to escape boring classwork.

And boy was it boring. Mina wanted to learn, she really did… But she couldn't get past the fact that she had just listened to someone talk about calculating the length of a triangle's side for about 5 minutes. What did any of that have to do with being a hero?

It only got worse from there. Mina hated math not just because it was boring, but because it was _hard_. She had tried solving 4 different problems now, and had yet to get a single one right. She was starting to get frustrated, to say the least.

"I-It's okay, w-we can come back to that one. J-Just try the next-

"Stop." Mina looked at him. "This… Obviously isn't working." She sighed loudly, putting an elbow on the table and resting her cheek in her hand. Mina had known this wasn't go to be easy, but the fact that she was blundering this much this early was discouraging, to say the least.

"S-Sorry, I probably explained this stuff poorly. Do you want to go over it again?" Mina shook her head.

"That's not the problem. You're doing great, really. Just… I can't bring myself to give a damn about this!" She sat up, throwing her arms up as she exclaimed this. "Like, why should it matter whether or not I can calculate a hypotenuse? That has nothing to do with hero work. Like, I get knowing Hero Law and even history stuff. But when am I going to use _math_ to fight a villain?"

Izuku hated seeing Mina upset. She was clearly trying, but she had made a habit of, for lack of a better term, slacking off in school. Breaking it was going to take some effort.

He had to think of something to say. Half a teacher's job was to motivate their students, after all.

"Um… If that's the problem, maybe try thinking about it differently?" He quietly suggested. Mina looked back at him, a little confused. "Like, um…" He stalled for a few seconds as he pieced together what he was trying to say. "Don't focus so much on the subject material itself, I guess."

"What?" Mina tilted her head. Izuku stroked his chin.

"Think about it like this. You don't lift weights because you expect to have to pick up 10-pound dumbbells somewhere, right? You do it to get stronger." Mina nodded. "Well…" He picked up the sheet of paper she had been working on. "Think about this math problem like a… Like a weight for your brain. We're not being taught this because they want us to know everything about triangles… Well, unless you're going to be like a hero that helps with construction or something, because then you need to know that kind of stuff to properly-

"Izuku, slow down." Mina, who had turned her chair to face him, rested a hand on his shoulder. "I think you're getting off topic." Izuku blushed slightly, partially due to his tangent, but also because of her touch.

"Right, anyways… I think we're sorta learning this stuff to 'train' our brains. A hero needs to be able to think quickly and clearly in a high-pressure situation, and you need a… a 'strong' brain to do that," he continued. "Like, think of a fight with a villain like a math problem."" Mina raised an eyebrow. "Er… J-Just, let me explain… The villain is the problem, and the solution you're trying to find is how to defeat them. And there are things you potentially know, just like how this problem gives you one of the triangle's sides and angles. The environment you're fighting in, your Quirk, the villain's Quirk… You need to be able to think of how to use that information to solve the 'problem'." It wasn't the best analogy, but it was what he thought of. "If… That makes sense." Mina stared at him in wonder for a few second.

"Villain fights are math problems… Really?" She put a hand to her mouth as she tried (and failed) to contain her laughter. "God, you are such a _dork_ , Izuku!" The aforementioned dork's face turned red at this. The laughter continued for a good 15 seconds.

He had to admit, when you really thought about it _did_ sound pretty stupid.

"Ha… Hoo… Oh man." Mina slowly calmed down, wiping a tear that had formed in her eye. "I… I really needed that, thanks." She cleared her throat. "But… I get what you're saying. I think." Mina had never thought about her schoolwork that way. "School is a gym for your brain, basically. Yeah, makes sense."

She recalled her practical final. When Nezu started his attack, she had completely panicked. Rather than try to analyze the situation or strategize, she and Kaminari just ran and hid until time ran out. Perhaps that was a consequence of her brain being "out of shape", to keep with Izuku's comparisons. She tried to picture someone like Todoroki or Yaoyorozu in that situation. No doubt they would have remained calm, devised a plan to bypass the obstacles before them, and subdue their opponent, just like they did with Mr. Aizawa.

In the end, what Izuku was trying to say was… Learning about triangles would in fact make her a better hero, in a manner of speaking.

"Alright." She pounded a fist into her palm, a determined grin on her face. "Let's take this from the top. I'm gonna whoop these trig problems' butts!" Izuku smiled, happy his analogy ultimately worked. He flipped back to the start of the chapter they were on, confident that they could make progress this time.

* * *

"Boom! Take that, villain!" Mina cried as she leapt out to her feet, triumphantly pointing at the paper in front of her. "Woohoo! Another chapter down! I'm on a roll, baby!" Izuku couldn't help but laugh at his friend's antics; he never expected to see someone get this excited over studying.

The tutoring had become significantly more productive after Izuku gave his "mental workout" spiel. Mina was far more focused than when they first started, and even started taking some of her own notes. He still had to get her attention more than a few times – Mina was still Mina, after all – but the distractions were few and far between. Once she was able to pay attention, solving the problems became much more doable. She still messed up here and there, but after carefully evaluating her work she eventually found the right answer.

As the study session went on, Mina's attitude improved more and more. The more they worked, the more consistently she was able to solve the practice problems. And the more answers she got right, the more fired up she got. Soon every right answer was cause for celebration as Mina started treating them all like dangerous villains she had brought to justice. Evidently, she was really running with his silly analogy.

Izuku couldn't help but feel proud, both of himself for successfully teaching, and of Mina for working so hard. He knew how tough it was to start climbing from the bottom; sharing that feeling was what brought the two of them together in the first place, after all.

"Alright, what's next?" Mina started shadowboxing "Come on, bring on the next chapter, coach!"

Her enthusiasm was admirable, but Izuku was starting to feel a bit tired. They had actually managed to cover a good deal of the math course at this point

"How about we, uh, take a break?" He suggested. Mina stopped punching the air and gave him a surprised look.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, I think we could both use one." Mina stood there for a few seconds… And then suddenly collapsed in her seat, exhaling dramatically.

"Good, my brain's starting to hurt. And I think I got a hand cramp from all this writing." She whined. In an instant, all of her energy had vanished. Izuku let out a small sigh. Mina's ability to completely change moods at the drop of a hat was quite a spectacle. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Oh, it's um…" The once-Quirkless boy checked his phone; he hadn't been keeping track of time much either. "…5:30!?" He cried in surprise.

They had been at this for about 4 hours now.

"Wow. Time flies when you're having fun, huh?" Mina was curling and uncurling the finger on her right hand repeatedly to stretch them. She laughed, shaking her head. "Things I thought I would never say about school…"

"You were, uh… You were really getting into it," Izuku commented, rubbing the back of his head. "But, um… I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself." The horned girl smiled.

"Well I have you to thank for that. You're not half bad at this whole teaching thing." Izuku had a way of explaining the material that made Mina feel a bit more involved, as opposed to listening to a teacher just drone on. "You know just what to say to get me going…" she added in a low voice, winking.

Izuku froze up.

"M…M…Mina!" He stammered, questioning whether or not he heard that right.

His eyes subconsciously started to drift downward. Fortunately, he caught himself before they got below Mina's neck. The tank-topped girl giggled.

"I'm kidding, sheesh! You should see your face," she said, shaking her head as she laughed at his embarrassment.

Izuku was only half-listening, though. He had managed to avoid having any more strange thoughts about Mina since they started studying, but hearing her talk like that, joke or not, had brought them back. He tried to force them out like usual, but this time it wasn't working.

Several times he had questioned why he would think about her so much. Why he would act more awkward than normal whenever they were together. Why being around her put him in such a good mood, even with her constant teasing. Why he caught himself just staring at her so much. Why he would get those funny feelings in his chest whenever she would smile at him, or just call him Izuku.

One possibility could answer all those questions, one he had refused to acknowledge. But the more he had tried to ignore it, the more apparent it had become.

He still wasn't exactly sure, since he had never felt this way about anyone else, but he could couldn't deny it any more.

He had to admit that there was at least a chance that one possibility existed.

Mina had stopped laughing at this point, and was now starting to regret what she said. Izuku appeared to have shut down because of her comment; he wasn't even really looking at anything now. The atmosphere had suddenly become very tense.

She may have gone a bit too far, even if she wasn't being entirely serious.

"Sorry, that was a bit much. Even for me," she admitted. If Izuku heard her, he didn't acknowledge it. The pink girl sighed. "Look, maybe we should call it quits for today. We've been at this all afternoon. Besides, I'm getting pretty hungry." She began putting her things away; trying to do anything else would be awkward.

She had been afraid of this happening. Subtlety was somewhat of an alien concept to her, especially when it came to expressing her feelings.

Izuku's stomach was in knots. He wanted to say something, but his mouth refused to open. His mind was a maelstrom of emotions as he tried to come to terms with one simple, terrifying fact:

He liked Mina. As in, like-liked Mina.

At least, he think he did. It was the only thing that could explain all these feelings.

"Anyways, I'll see you later." Mina had finished packing and was getting up to leave.

"Wait!" Izuku stood. Mina whipped around, a bit surprised by him suddenly returning to life.

His knees were shaking. His throat felt dry. His heartrate had probably doubled, at least.

He had no idea why he shouted that.

Internally, he was panicking. What did he do? What should he say now? Mina, this girl he just realized he probably had feelings for, simply stared at him, looked at him expectantly.

"Yes…?" He needed to say something. _Anything_.

"Howaboutwegetdinnertogether?" His brain didn't have time to process the words before they spilled out of his mouth.

Time seemed to freeze as Izuku realized what he just said. He mentally screamed.

What had he done? Why did he say that, of all things? He wanted to take it back, to say he misspoke, but the words caught in his throat.

Mina took equally long to process his question. She played it back once, twice, three times in her head. Her eyes widened.

Did… Did he just do what she think he did?

"…Are you asking me out?" She covered her mouth the second the words left her; she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Izuku's stomach lurched. His entire body was on fire.

This was it. He was actually going to die from embarrassment.

"I… Ng… Bwuh…" His brain struggled to form words. But as much as he wanted to deny it, the answer to her question was… "Y-Yes." He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a slap in the face for daring to ask something so insane.

Instead, he felt a hand gingerly touch his shoulder. He opened one eye to see Mina standing a little closer now, smiling warmly at him. There was clearly embarrassment on her face as well.

"Well, I'd… I'd love to," she said quietly. She was still blown away by what was happening; _he_ had made the first move? Everything had happened so fast.

"R-Really?" The lobster in front of her stammered. Was he dreaming? Had he actually passed out?

"Yes, really." She looked down. "I mean… I was probably gonna ask you out eventually…" Izuku's eyes went wide.

"W-what? But… But why…?" Mina rolled her eyes, though she kept smiling.

"Because I like you, silly." she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

She had actually confessed.

Izuku was certain he in a dream. Mina, a girl, the girl he just realized he had feelings for… Felt the same way?

A girl actually liked him?

He pinched himself a few times before realizing this was real.

"Now are we just gonna stand here gawking at each other, or get some food? Come on, I'm starving here!"

"Er… Uh…J-Just a second!" Izuku finally managed to regain control of himself as he frantically started to pack up his belongings.

A date. He was actually going on a date.

* * *

And it finally begins. I had some fun writing this one. Izuku strikes me as someone who would try to compare everything to being a hero in some way, which is where his whole math analogy came from. Meanwhile, I didn't think it'd be super realistic if Mina suddenly started enjoying school work just like that. She wants to improve, but wanting to do something and actually doing it are very different things. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed!


	5. First Date

Well, it's time for what you came here for. So let's get started.

* * *

A date.

Izuku was going on a date.

…Izuku was actually going on a date.

The inheritor of One for All's brain had been stuck on repeat for the last several minutes as it tried to comprehend this information. It simply didn't seem possible; no girl could be interested in someone like him.

And yet, here he was with not just any girl, but one he actually harbored feelings for. And not only had she actually agreed to go out with him, rather than laugh in his face when he asked, but she… She actually felt the same way about him?

It defied everything Izuku had been conditioned to think. But then again, that had happened a lot this year.

He glanced at the girl walking next to him. Being near his house, Izuku had recommended a ramen shop that was fairly close to the library, which Mina seemed to be fine with. Once they had decided that, the two had walked in almost complete silence.

While she clearly wasn't nearly as wound up as Izuku was, Mina was also quite nervous. She was still reeling somewhat from the normally shy boy's sudden question. She could still hardly believe he had actually been the one to ask her out, instead of the other way around. Plus, on top of that, she had decided to confess her feelings right then and there, something she was still not sure was a good idea. Izuku hadn't really said anything in response to it. Did he not actually feel the same? But then why would he ask her on a date if he didn't? Did he just not feel comfortable saying it?

The black-and-yellow-eyed girl shook her head. It was very unlike her to be this shaken. She wanted to say something to the boy, but her voice just didn't want to work. The most she could do was steal the occasional glance at him. Unbeknownst to her, he was doing the same thing.

By chance, they each tried to sneak a peek at the same time. Upon realizing the other had caught them, they each snapped their heads away from one another.

Mina was getting annoyed. What was she doing? This whole shy girl routine wasn't her in the slightest.

She cleared her throat.

"So…" She mustered up some courage, and turned to look at her date again. This seemed to startle Izuku slightly, suggesting he had been deep in thought like usual. "How much further is this place?"

"I-It's… R-Right around this c-corner, actually," the tense boy stuttered. Mina sighed. They both needed to loosen up a little if this was going to go anywhere.

As they rounded the street corner, the sign for the shop Izuku had mentioned could be seen. As the two teens approached the entrance, Izuku suddenly sprang forward. Before Mina could react, he had flung open the door with an excessive amount of enthusiasm, holding it open as he moved to the side.

"A-After you!" He squeaked, gesturing with his free hand for her to enter, practically bowing.

This was the sort of thing guys were supposed to do on dates, right?

The horned girl stared blankly at him for a few seconds before she realized what he was doing. In an instant, the stuffy, awkward air seemed to dissipate as a result of Izuku's over-the-top chivalry.

"Oh my, such a gentleman!" Mina exclaimed in a "fancy" voice, curtseying with an invisible dress.

He was such a sweetie. A dorky sweetie, but a sweetie nonetheless.

Giggling at the blush that appeared on his face in response to her comment, Mina entered the restaurant with her companion right behind her. They sat themselves down at a booth across from one another.

"This is nice," Mina commented, looking around. "Very romantic…" She had regained her composure, and was back to her normal, teasing self. Izuku made a small, high pitched sound as she said this, looking down at his menu. He heard another giggle from Mina. "Come on, Izuku, we're on a date here. Lighten up a bit."

He gulped. She was right, of course, but calming down seemed near impossible for him right now.

"S-Sorry…" He murmured, clearly embarrassed at his own, well, embarrassment. He took a few deep breaths, trying to unwind just a bit. It slowly started working; his hands stopped shaking a little, his heartrate slowed, and his stomach muscles loosened. He gathered the resolve to look at Mina. She smiled as he did.

"That's better." Mina looked at her menu. "Now, what to get…?"

The two took some time to decide on what they wanted, Izuku recommending a few things to Mina at her request. A waiter came by to take their orders, and returned shortly after that with drinks. As they waited for food, the pair chatted a bit, now feeling a little more at ease.

"So do you come here often?" Mina asked.

"Well, my mom would take me here a lot when I was younger. Nowadays it's kind of a special occasion thing for us." Mina smirked.

"Figures you're a momma's boy."

"I… That's…" Izuku seemed to shrink a little, blushing as he sipped his drink to avoid saying anything else. Mina laughed.

"Nothing wrong with that. I think it's cute." She paused. "Just like you," she added with a wink.

Izuku started coughing as he choked a bit on his drink.

How could she expect him to lighten up if she kept saying these sorts of things?

Of course, deep down he liked hearing her say stuff like that. Knowing someone felt this way about him was uplifting, to say the least.

"Woah, don't die on me man!" Mina exclaimed. Izuku pounded his chest a couple times.

"S…Sorry," he sputtered as he stopped coughing. They looked at each other for a moment.

Izuku realized he hadn't said anything remotely romantic since they left the library. And he had the been the one to suggest they go out in the first place, even if he hadn't exactly meant to at the time. Mina had made a few flirty comments here and there and was clearly trying to make something of this.

He swallowed some saliva. He should say something nice at least. Compliment her on her appearance maybe? That's something you did on dates, right? He should comment on her outfit, or her hair, or-

"You're pretty."

Izuku buried his face in his hands as it turned dark red. Apparently his mouth and brain did were not working together today. Mina's cheeks turned magenta at his comment, yet at the same time she burst out laughing.

"Smooth. How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"…I'm really bad at this." Izuku's voice was muffled by his hands. Why did he even try?

"Kinda." Izuku felt her hands grab his, increasing his anxiety. She slowly pulled them away so he was looking at her. "Look, you don't need to try so hard. I mean, I appreciate the compliment, but… It almost sounded forced." Izuku averted his eyes.

"W-well, we're o-on a date, so I figured…"

"Just act natural, dude." She squeezed his hands a bit. "Don't do stuff because you think you have to." Izuku was silent, but nodded. "Good!"

Their food arrived shortly a minute later, which they promptly started eating.

"Mm! This is pretty good!" Mina commented with a mouthful of noodles. "I can see why you like this place so much." Izuku simply nodded back, not wanting to talk with his mouth full.

They didn't say much as they ate. One of them would occasionally comment about some aspect of the food, but that was about it.

Izuku reflected on what Mina told him. She was right; he shouldn't be trying to do or say anything just because it's what he was "supposed to do" on a date. Not unless he genuinely wanted to, anyway. And was very clear he was not a romantic sort.

He looked up from his bowl at the girl across from him. His tactless comment hadn't been a lie, of course; Izuku did find Mina quite attractive. Now that he recognized he apparently had feelings for her, and that she had them for him, he felt slightly less creepy acknowledging that fact. Of course, he still felt a bit uncomfortable with her choice of attire, and was fighting even harder not to ogle at something he shouldn't. Knowing she had been planning to ask him out at some point in the future, he was beginning to suspect she had intentionally chosen that outfit to mess with him.

She was going to ask him out.

" _Because I like you, silly!"_ Her words echoed in his head. He had a hard enough time accepting that she was willing to go on a date with him, but to hear that she was already harboring feelings for him was even more unbelievable.

He couldn't help but wonder what it was she saw in him. In his mind, he was nothing special. That quiet, weird nerdy kid that didn't stand out.

"…Hey, Mina?" He wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but it had been gnawing at him this whole time. Mina currently had her bowl in front of her face as she slurped the remaining broth down. It seemed she was a very fast eater.

"Hm?" She lowered the bowl, wiping her mouth.

"Can, I, um… Can I ask you something?" The girl tilted her head a bit as she looked at him.

"You just did," she joked, cracking a smile. Izuku felt the corner of his mouth twitch a bit. A dumb joke, but amusing nonetheless. "But seriously, of course. Shoot."

"Um… Well…" The nervous boy twiddled his thumbs. "I've been wanting to ask… What…" He looked away slightly, his cheeks warming up. "W-What is it you… L-L-Like about me?" Mina was silent for a few seconds.

"Well… For starters, that adorable face of yours," Izuku's whole face began to glow. She giggled. "Seriously, you're just so _cute_ when you get all worked up like that!"

She found him cute. Izuku already knew this by now, but it wasn't helping his blush.

"But asides that… It's your unbreakable spirit. You're, like, seriously the most determined, passionate dude I've ever met. You're always ready to face every challenge, no matter what life throws at you. I really admire that about you." She paused. "I… I want to be more like that. Hard working, driven..."

"Mina…"

"But also, it's your… Your genuineness? Is that a word? You're just so honest and open about yourself and your feelings when you want to be. You're not afraid to be emotional… I think it's really sweet." It could take a little effort to make him open up, sure, but she never got the impression he was trying to hide anything.

"O-Oh." Was all Izuku responded with, rubbing the back of his head. His stomach was full of butterflies. "I… I uh, f-feel kinda similar a-about y-y-you, actually…" He said quietly.

Mina felt her chest muscles tighten just a bit.

"Y-You're so… Comfortable with yourself. Y-You're always so c-confident and p-positive about everything," he stammered. "I…It's a lot like All Might. I want to… I want to be more like both him and y-you." He gulped. "I… I really like that about you, Mina." He blushed once again.

"And you think I'm really pretty, right?" The now-blushing girl joked.

"Erm… Uh…" Izuku fumbled with words, and sighed. "Y-yes…"

There was a brief silence between the two of them before they both started laughing. Neither was sure why they laughed; it may have simply been the good mood they were both in.

Despite his constant stuttering and overall nervousness, Izuku was having a great time. Spending a meal with someone he cared deeply about made him glow with happiness. Mina was, of course, experiencing a similar feeling.

They stopped laughing and simply looked into each other's eyes, each smiling warmly at the other. It seemed they had been so drawn to each other because they each admired something about the other, both aspired to be more like one another. Finding each other physically appealing certainly didn't hurt, either.

They continued to gaze at one another. For a second, the rest of the world seemed to stop existing.

"…Mina…"

"…Izuku…"

The sudden appearance of their server shattered the moment as he placed a check on the table. Naturally, the two students were a bit upset about this interruption. Izuku scrambled for the check.

"Oh… Um, let me get that for-

"Izuku, no." Mina grabbed his arm as he reached for the paper.

"B-But I asked you out, I should-

"What did I say earlier?" She pushed his hand away. "I appreciate the gesture, but we can split it. I don't mind."

"O-Oh, alright…" They each pulled out their wallets. "…You sure you-

" _Yes_ , Izuku."

* * *

The heroes-in-training exited the restaurant, stopping just outside. They turned to each other.

"So…" Mina started. "Now what?" It was only 6:45; they had been out for about an hour.

"Um… Should we call it a night?" Izuku didn't really want to part ways just yet, but he also didn't want to impose.

"Pff, you kidding? It's way too early dude. Besides…" She took a step closer to him. "I still want to spend some time with you."

"Oh, um, okay!" Izuku was feeling a bit uncomfortable with how close she was getting. "W-What did you w-want to do then?" Mina looked across the street, a theatre catching her eye.

"How about a movie?" She suggested. Dinner and a show, pretty standard dating stuff. Plus, the perfect place for them to get a little intimate.

"Uh… Yeah, that sounds nice." The green-haired boy agreed.

"Great. Shall we?" They began making their way across the road.

* * *

"These look good," Mina said, pointing at a couple seats near the back of the theatre. She and Izuku made their way over, sitting down.

Unsurprisingly, the two of them had settled on seeing a film about heroes. However, this one was a particularly old film, one that was actually made before Quirks first appeared. Several comics and movies had been made about fictional heroes and villains long before Quirks existed, and you could still find plenty of merchandise for them if you knew where to look. This theatre was apparently showing it as a special occasion. Apparently, the titular hero was known to be one of the most popular heroes of his time.

"You ever seen this?" Mina asked her date. To her surprise, he shook his head.

"No. I've heard of the character though. He used to be a huge thing back when these kinds of characters were popular."

"Well he doesn't sound that cool. I mean, Spiderman, really? Couldn't have picked a slightly more creative name?" Mina shook her head.

"Um… Didn't you pick 'Pinky' for your hero name?" Mina's face turned a bit magenta.

"Th-That was because that stupid Midnight wouldn't let me take my first choice!" She argued, puffing her cheeks a bit. "Besides, it's… It's a work in progress!" Izuku unsuccessfully tried to hide his laughter; it was rare for Mina to get caught off guard like that. It was really cute.

"…Right," Izuku decided not to press any more. "By the way… Where did the name 'Alien Queen' come from, anyways?"

Mina turned to look him in the eye.

"You don't know?" Izuku shook his head.

For a moment, he saw a sinister look flash across her face. It seems she had gotten an idea.

He didn't like that.

"I'll explain some other time. It'll be more fun to show you," was all she said.

Izuku REALLY didn't like that.

However, before he could ask any more questions, the lights dimmed as the logo for the movie's studio came up.

"Oh, it's starting!" Mina excitedly proclaimed. Izuku forgot about the conversation they were just having, his attention immediately turning to the screen.

The two were silent as the movie began to play. They'd occasionally whisper about something happening in the plot, or pointing out a bad special effect (the movie was old, after all), or an actor's performance.

20 minutes into the film, Izuku felt something on his hand. He blushed as he realized it was Mina's hand once again grabbing his. Instinct told him to pull away, but something else told him to leave it there. He decided to listen to that feeling as he adjusted his hand so it was also holding hers. Just like at the hospital.

He felt Mina shift. He turned to see her looking at him, smiling gently. He did the same, though his probably looked a bit more sheepish.

40 minutes in, Mina decided to take it a step further. She had eased Izuku into things at this point, and felt comfortable escalating a bit. Inching closer to him, she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

She felt all the muscles immediately tense up.

"M-M-M-Mina…!" Izuku loudly whispered. She couldn't quite see his face, but he was obviously way more anxious than normal. "Wh…Wh-What a-a-are you d-d-doing…!?"

"Sshh…" She shushed, nuzzling him a bit. "Just… Let me stay here, alright?" She rubbed the hand that was gripping hers with her thumb a bit. She felt him shudder.

Izuku was panicking. Was this really okay? He had never been anywhere near this close to a girl before. It felt so… So…

Nice.

And warm.

Izuku swallowed. He still wasn't sure if this was ok, but… He decided he was fine with it. For now, at least.

"…Okay," he said softly. He felt a soft squeeze on his hand in response.

Slowly, almost unconsciously, Izuku lowered his head so it was resting atop Mina's. More warmth. More niceness. He picked up a faint, sweet smell, coming from her hair. Her shampoo, perhaps?

Despite his bright red face, Izuku smiled. Wide. He, again mostly subconsciously, nuzzled Mina just like she did to him. A soft, pleasant sound escape Mina's lips in response. This only made his face redder and his smile wider.

They remained like this for most of the rest of the movie. Occasionally, they've separate when a dramatic moment happened so they could properly react, but they would quickly return to their positions right after. Each time, Izuku's hesitation faded more and more.

Neither of them had felt this much joy in a long, long time.

* * *

The pair left the movie theatre, fervently discussing the film they just saw.

"That was amazing! I can't believe the bad guy stabbed himself with his own jet thing like that! Talk about karma!" Mina exclaimed, flailing her arms.

"Yeah…" Izuku had visibly winced at that scene. It was good the villain was stopped, but death was not something he like seeing. Still, it wasn't like the hero killed him.

"But man, what a weird concept… Getting a Quirk because a weird spider bit you."

"Well it technically wasn't a Quirk. Those didn't exist back then, after all."

"Yeah yeah, semantics," Mina said, waving a hand up and down. Izuku had to admit he felt a real connection with the protagonist. A nerdy high school kid who was constantly picked on suddenly getting super powers and getting the chance to be a hero? It hit a little too close to home. "Still, I mean… Can you seriously imagine if you could just be given a Quirk like that? Talk about crazy ideas!"

Izuku stopped walking at these words.

" _You're just so open and honest about yourself…"_ He recalled what Mina had said just a little while ago. It was one of the things she said she liked most about him. Why she had agreed to go on this date.

And yet, she had no idea…

"Actually, about that…" He found himself saying. Mina looked back.

"Hm? What about what?"

"The idea that you could be given a Quirk is… It's not so crazy." Mina had now turned completely around, a confused look on her face.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, cocking her head as she raised an eyebrow.

"Because, well, I…" He stopped himself.

What the heck was he doing!? He couldn't tell her that!

"I… I… I just think, there are so many different Quirks out there, who knows it there's one that lets you transfer give people Quirks?" He quickly fabricated a sentence.

"…I mean, I guess… But it still sounds ridiculous to me." She turned around and kept walking, not seeming to suspect anything.

Izuku wiped a hand across his forehead.

No matter how he felt about her, there was no way he could tell her about One for All. He hadn't told anyone, not even his mom.

Still, the fact that it meant he was sort of lying about his powers to her didn't make him feel too good. But he had technically told her the truth, so he managed to shake off the guilty feeling after a minute or two.

The two decided it was now late enough to end the date. Izuku agreed to walk with Mina to the train station and see her off. Despite their actions in the theatre, they decided not to display any affection as they walked. Mina wanted to, of course, but she knew doing anything in public would make Izuku far too uncomfortable at this time.

They arrived at the station after a short walk, finding the platform Mina would board her train. The pink girl led him to an area where there were no people standing around, and turned to face him.

"Well… This was fun," she stated, her arms behind her back.

"…Yeah, it was." The two of them didn't say anything else for a moment, both of them shuffling awkwardly.

"Would you… Um… Like to do this again?" Mina asked, moving just a bit closer towards the boy.

"I… I would, yeah." Izuku tugged at his collar. "Um… Would you?"

"Definitely."

Another awkward silence. Both students had blushes on their faces.

"And, um…" Mina took another step, closing the gap between them further. "Thanks again for all your help today. I wouldn't mind studying together some more."

Izuku gulped as he realized they were only about six inches apart.

"U-Um… Yeah, that'd be fine."

A third, longer silence. They stared at each other, hearts pounding. Mina inched closer once more.

She began to lean forward, eyes slowly shutting as she puckered her lips…

…Only to be stopped by a forehead bumping against hers. She opened her eyes to see that Izuku had lowered his head, stopping her from reaching his lips.

"…S…S…Sorry," he quietly apologized. "But… Um… I-I don't… Don't think I'm ready for… For that." The cuddling in the theatre was one thing. A kiss was on a whole other level, and something he did not feel comfortable doing at this time.

"Oh. Right." Mina quickly backed up, looking both disappointed and a bit ashamed. "I… Sorry."

Once again, she took things a bit too far.

Izuku frowned. He didn't want their date to end like this.

Without a word, and mostly without thinking, he suddenly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Mina, pulling her in for a hug. It was still incredibly nerve-racking for him, but significantly less so than a kiss. Mina was stunned for a few seconds, and then returned the embrace. She rested her head on Izuku's shoulder once again, taking care not to poke him with her horns.

The warm, soft feeling Izuku felt at the theatre was now completely covering his body. He had never felt such a comfortable sensation before, and he didn't want it to end. Mina felt the same way.

They were forced to separate when they heard Mina's train start to pull into the station about a minute later, though they kept their hands on each other's shoulders.

"…Well, um… Talk to you later," Mina said after a few seconds. Reluctantly, she completely separated from Izuku, and made her way onto the train. They waved to each other as the doors shut and the train pulled out of the station.

Izuku sighed heavily, leaning his back against a wall. He still couldn't believe he had actually hugged a girl like that. He couldn't believe most of the things that occurred today, really.

And yet, it had happened. All of it. And he couldn't be happier because of it.

He had successfully gone on a date with Mina Ashido. And from the sounds of it, he may have another one to look forward to. And perhaps another after that. And one after that… And… And…

It slowly dawned on him.

Did he have a girlfriend now?

Izuku clutched his head with one hand. Despite everything that had happened today, _that_ was a concept his brain refused to accept. He actually felt faint just thinking about it.

He started heading home, trying not to think too much more about the idea. At least, not yet.

* * *

Slightly shorter chapter this time, apologies. It's the start of the romance, but with so few scenes I couldn't think of how to extend it much more. Hope you enjoyed all the same.


	6. Sittin' in a Tree

Slightly meatier chapter to make up for the shorter one, let's go!

* * *

Mina flung open her bedroom door, tossing her backpack on the already-messy floor as she entered. She had a spring in her step as she hummed a tune to herself, a huge closed-lip smile on her face. She flopped onto her bed, letting out a loud, joyful sigh. She laid there for a moment, looked up at her ceiling before grabbing the plushie on her bed – A "cute" version of the monster from _Alien_ – and squeezing it against her chest, rolling back and forth as she giggled.

She hadn't felt this good since the day she found out she was going to U.A.

She could still feel see Izuku's smiling, blushing face. Hear his adorable stammering. Feel the warmth of his arms wrapped around her. She recalled his heartfelt words at the ramen shop about what he saw in her. All the details of that evening were still fresh in her mind, and her heart fluttered just thinking about it all.

Any reluctance and uncertainties she had had about wanting to date Izuku had been shattered. Their date, awkward though it was, had been a success. And it sounded like they were going to go on another.

Her breathe caught in her throat.

Did that mean they were… Together now?

The enamored girl felt her chest start to pound. She took a few deep breathes, trying to calm down.

"Easy, Mina… Easy…" She sat up, putting her stuffed xenomorph down. "One step at a time, girl." She was getting a bit ahead of herself; it had just been one date, after all.

She began getting ready for bed, contemplating the future. She honestly hadn't given much thought to the idea of pursuing a serious relationship with Izuku. Now that the two had gone on an actual date, however, it was something she had to consider. Her immediate thought was yes, she did want one. But she knew there was a few things to consider.

For one, the fact was that they still hadn't known each other that well for very long. Everything between them happened so fast, and Mina was worried that rushing into a relationship might be a bad idea. At the same time, though, she felt her and Izuku had established a genuine connection. She sensed it a few times these past few days; those moments where they wouldn't say anything and just… Look at each other. Like they didn't need words to tell each other what they were thinking.

In those moments, Mina could feel something beyond a simple teenage crush. It was ridiculous to call it love, of course, but… Mina truly cared about Izuku. And she got the feeling he cared just as much about her.

So maybe, just maybe, a relationship wasn't such a farfetched idea.

Mina finished getting ready and returned to her bed. Her mind continued to run as she tried to get to sleep.

Of course, there was no way to truly know how Izuku felt. For all she knew, he had found the date too awkward and stressful. There was also the fact that he was a very dedicated student. Would he want a relationship right now? His life was crazy enough as is.

The tired girl groaned. Sitting up, she grabbed the phone on her nightstand. She knew this probably wasn't a good idea, but she needed to try to clear her head.

Her finger hovered over the call button as she hesitated. Was asking something like this over the phone really the best idea?

"Hey Izuku, what's up? Just wanted to know if you're my boyfriend now," Mina said in a half-serious voice. "Yeah, that's totally the best way to approach this."

Still, she could tell this was going to be picking her brain all night. What to do?

Her phone lighting up and buzzing answered her question. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw who it was.

"Izuku?" She immediately answered, talking a little louder than she intended.

"Uh… H-Hey, Mina." Just hearing his voice was making her feel all tingly. There was a brief silence. "Um… I know we kinda s-said it already, but… T-Tonight was… Really fun."

"Yeah, it really was," Mina agreed. She was a bit confused; was this all he was calling about?

"So… Um… I-I know we m-mentioned another d…D…Date… But…" There was a pause.

Mina's smile dropped. She felt her heart sink. So he really didn't want to…

"…We didn't really talk a-about when."

And in an instant, those feelings were replaced with an urge to strangle Izuku. Affectionally, of course.

"Oh. Um. Yeah, I guess we didn't, did we?" She resisted the urge to yell at him for accidentally playing with her emotions.

"I-If you still w-wanted to, I mean… But if you don't, I… I unde-

"Izuku, stop," Mina interrupted. "Of course I want to." She thought for a moment. "Um… Are you busy tomorrow?"

"T-Tomorrow!?" Izuku squealed. "S-So… So soon?" Mina rocked back and forth on her bed.

"I… I know it's kinda sudden, but I just… I really wanna see you again." She started twirling some of her hair around her finger. "But if that won't work, I-

"I'D LOVE TO!" Mina winced, pulling the phone a few inches away from her ear as Izuku practically screamed. "Uh… I-I-I mean… Y-Yeah, t-t-tomorrow… Tomorrow would b-be nice." Mina could imagine how red he must be after that emotional outburst; she swore she could feel the heat radiating through the phone. She let out a laugh.

"You're just too damn cute." She heard an incomprehensible noise on Izuku's end. "Sooo, did you have anything in mind?" Izuku took a moment to form actual words.

"Oh, well, um… I figured w-we could do some more studying t-together." Mina rolled her eyes. Of course his idea of a date would involve school word. Still, there was a lot more material she wanted to catch up on, so a couple hours of study wouldn't hurt.

"Not exactly the most romantic idea I've ever heard, but sure," she replied. "But… I'd rather not spend all day in the library again. Kinda stuffy in there."

"O-Oh! Well, um, the weather's supposed to be nice tomorrow. M-Maybe we could go to a park or something?" Mina smiled; she liked the sound of that.

"Sounds like a great idea. There's a pretty big one near my place, actually. We could study for a bit, then go walking on some of the trails… Oh! We could totally have a little picnic! Or maybe…" She got more and more excited as she started rattling off all the activities they could potentially do together.

"Um… Yes, that sounds… Mina, wait, slow down… Mina!" Izuku could barely get a word in.

"And we could… Oh, sorry. Got a bit carried away there." She laughed nervously, blushing to herself. "So, um… Park sounds good, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll, um, follow up on a time tomorrow."

"Sounds good. See you then!" Mina hung up the phone, setting it back down. She let out another loud sigh, lying back in bed.

She could have asked about what their relationship was at this point, but she decided against it. She'd let tomorrow play out; she had a feeling both she and Izuku would have a better idea afterwards.

* * *

Izuku could still feel himself blushing as he hung up the phone.

He didn't know what prompted him to call Mina and ask about that. It could have waited until tomorrow, right? Did asking about a second date barely an hour after the first seem too clingy? Too desperate?

He had considered all those things, yet he couldn't get himself to stop thinking about it. By the time he had gotten home from the station, he already missed being around Mina. He had gone straight to his room after getting home and just sat in bed for a while, thinking about everything that had happened that day. It all still felt like a dream to him.

He had tried to get to sleep, but his brain was in overdrive thinking about Mina. Her perfect smile that lit up the room, that bubbly laugh that could cheer anyone up, those gorgeous eyes that he found himself getting lost in so many times, her soft, fluffy hair rubbing against his cheek…

Izuku felt a bit ashamed of himself thinking like that. Being that close to Mina had been terrifying at the time, but now that he was back home he found himself longing for her touch again. He just wanted to… Be with her more. He was head-over-heels for the girl, even if she did turn him into a babbling mess at the slightest hint of affection.

He had called her hoping that it would help get her out of his head a bit. Unfortunately, it was having the opposite effect; he hadn't expected Mina to want to meet tomorrow. He wasn't even sure if she'd want to meet at all. But he was more than happy to spend time with her tomorrow, as evidenced by his overly enthusiastic agreement.

That said, the fact remained that this would be a second date. What did it mean if they wanted another? He had tried not to think about since the station, but was this potentially becoming a serious relationship?

Izuku shuddered. He had never once in his life entertained the idea of having a girlfriend. The fact that there was a possibility of it happening now scared him.

But at the same time, just thinking about it being a reality put a big, stupid smile on his face.

He yawned. His mind finally seemed to be tiring itself out. Rolling over, he shut his eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Okay… school books, lunch, anything else?"

Izuku rummaged through his bag, triple checking to make sure he had everything. It was about 12 PM and he needed to meet Mina in about an hour. After waking up, he had texted Mina asking about a time to meet. They both had morning chores to do, as well as their own workout routines, so they decided on an afternoon meetup.

He was nervous, of course. He had no clue what to expect for a second date. Yesterday had happened on a whim, but this was planned. He dreaded what Mina had in store for him.

"Mom, I'm heading out!" Izuku called as he approached the door.

"Have fun with your friend! And make sure you don't stay out too late, okay?" His mother's voice called out from the other room.

Izuku hadn't told her exactly what he was actually doing, of course. He didn't like keeping things from his mom, but he also didn't want to drop the fact that he was going on a date on her. He didn't want her knowing until he had determined what exactly he and Mina were to each other.

As he stepped out the door, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out, expecting something from Mina; she had been texting him all morning, usually about random stuff. Not that he minded.

He stopped walking when he realized who it was from.

"Hey Deku, some of us are going to the beach in around 3, did you want to join?"

Ochako Uraraka.

Izuku panicked. He had been so caught up in spending time with Mina he had forgotten about his other friends. They'd obviously want to do stuff with him over the break.

He sighed. It sounded like fun, but he wanted to be with Mina today. And there was no way he was going try and bring her to this. He had no intention of telling his friends about what was going on, not when he himself didn't fully know what was going on.

Of course, he didn't want to lie either. So, he'd have to compromise and tell a half-truth.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't today. I have other plans." Technically true.

"Aw :( Well, maybe some other time this week then?" Uraraka responded. He was beyond grateful she didn't press for details.

"Yeah, definitely!" He still wasn't opposed to the idea, of course. Just not today.

He continued on his way to the train station.

* * *

Mina checked her phone for the fourth time in the past 2 minutes.

1:02.

She fidgeted impatiently as she sat on a bench at the train stop, watching vigilantly for the next arrival. She had expected Izuku on the last couple stops, but there had been so sign of him.

"Come on, hurry up already," she mumbled to herself. The morning had crawled by, and she was beyond sick of waiting.

Her mom was a bit concerned with her going out for the day again, but she was much more accepting when Mina explained she was going to study with a friend. Mina had never been one to lie to her parents, so her mom trusted that she was actually going to study and not, say, hang out at an arcade all day.

And technically, she was going to study with a friend. That just wasn't the whole truth.

She had every intention of telling her parents about Izuku, but first she needed to see where her relationship with him was actually going. Plus, she didn't want her brother overhearing that she had a date; she wouldn't hear the end of it from him.

She had also received a text from Uraraka inviting her to an outing at the beach. It sounded like a blast, but Mina declined, saying she had other stuff going on. She just wanted to be with Izuku today; there was a lot she needed to figure out, after all.

As she eyed the train tracks like a hawk, she didn't notice the figure walking up to her.

"You know you missed a couple trains already right?" Mina snapped her head in the direction of the voice to see a familiar head of spiky red hair. Her eyes widened slightly.

"K-Kirishima! What are you… Have you been spying on me?" She glared. Her classmate held his hands up in a defensive manner.

"H-Hey, it ain't like that! I just got off a couple trains back and happened to catch you sitting here. I thought it was a bit weird." He looked at the tracks. "You, uh, waiting for someone or something?"

"Of course I am, dummy," she snapped, looking back at the tracks. She saw Kirishima grin in her peripheral as he leaned in. "Dude, I swear…"

"…It's Midoriya, isn't it?" Mina gave him an elbow in the ribs as a response. He seemed to anticipate this and activated his Quirk just enough to absorb the blow. "Aha! I knew it." Mina couldn't hide her blush for long.

She shouldn't be so concerned. After all, he already knew she was planning to ask Izuku out.

"Alright, yes," she admitted. "We're going to study at the park."

"Ooo, the park. I see my little plan is paying off." There was clear pride in his voice.

"Better than you'd think, actually…" Mina felt like he deserved to know, seeing as he helped her out. "He, um… Actually asked me out yesterday." Kirishima's jaw dropped.

"No way. No freakin'- Seriously? Him? Just like that?" Mina shrugged.

"I… I couldn't believe it either. We ended up getting dinner and seeing a movie. It was… Really nice." She smiled as she remembered last night once again. "Like, _really_ nice. I'm, um… Actually meeting him for a second one." Her middle school friend beamed.

"Dude, that's great! So you two are a thing now?" Mina tensed up a bit at the mention of this.

"Well… Not exactly. I mean, maybe? I don't really know yet?" Kirishima gave her a puzzled look.

"What do you mean maybe? You guys went on a date, now you're going on another. Sounds like you're a couple to me." He shrugged.

"I-It's not that simple! There's, well… The thing is…" She huffed, trying to think of a way to explain to the redhead. "It's just a lot more nuanced than that!"

"I mean… No, it really isn't. Not to me anyway." Mina rolled her eyes.

"That's because you're as dense as they come." Before he could respond, they both heard the loudspeaker announced that the next train was arriving. "Oh crap, that might be him!" She stood up, practically pushing Kirishima away. "You need to leave, now!"

"Jeez, calm down Mina, just-

"NOW!" A few people looked over at them.

"Alright, I get it, sheesh," Kirshima relented. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then." He turned to head back up the stairs leading to the station exit.

"Wait, one more thing," He stopped, turning to her. "…If you tell _anyone_ about any of this…" She held out a hand, a bit of acid forming in it. She had a dead-serious look on her face. "They won't find your body. Got it?"

Kirishima simply grinned. It was a scary look, but he had known her long enough to recognize it was just a front. Still, he didn't feel like upsetting her, so he'd keep his mouth shut.

"Loud and clear, ma'am," was all he said before leaving.

Mina let out a half-sigh-half-groan as she ran a hand down her face. She did NOT need that right now. Though she supposed she should be grateful it had been Kirishima; she couldn't imagine trying to explain what was going on to someone who didn't know, especially if she couldn't get rid of them before Izuku arrived. Plus, she knew Kirishima wouldn't tell anyone. At least, if he knew what was good for him.

She returned her attention to the train that was pulling in. Her eyes darted from door to door as people started pouring out until she spotted a head of green, curly hair in the crowd. She sprang to her feet, practically leaping up and down as she frantically waved to Izuku. He quickly noticed her – she wasn't hard to spot, after all – and gave a wave and a smile before maneuvering his way through the swarm of people over to her.

"Hey, sorry I'm a little late, I-AAH!" Izuku started apologizing for his tardiness before Mina suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. Alarms started going off in his head as his whole body went rigid. Girl. Hugging him. Public.

But… She was so warm.

Mina quickly realized his discomfort and pulled away, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Heh, sorry. Got a bit too excited." Izuku's face slowly turned back to a normal color as his body relaxed. "I missed you." She knew it sounded ridiculous, since it hadn't even been a day since she last saw him, but it was the truth. Izuku looked away slightly, rubbing his arm.

"Y-Yeah… Me too," he admitted, his cheeks turning rosy. "Uh… Should we get going?"

Mina led the way as they made their way out of the station to the park. They managed to have a small conversation along the way, asking how each other's mornings had gone.

"…I'm seriously going to kill him one of these days." Mina had just finished ranting about her brother.

"He… He certainly sounds like a handful," Izuku commented. They walked a few more steps. "You, um… You look nice, by the way," he said quietly, a blush creeping onto his face. Mina's face also changed color slightly, not expecting the compliment.

Much to Izuku's gratitude, Mina had picked a slightly more modest outfit for this outing, She wore a slightly loose black top with "acid" written in bright pink letters across it along with olive-green shorts that went to about her knees. She had intentionally picked something a little less snug for the boy's sake, deciding to give him a breather after seeing his reaction yesterday. Izuku had, as usual, gone with a pretty plain outfit, wearing a grey t-shirt and cargo shorts.

"…Thanks. So do you." Mina smiled as she returned the compliment.

* * *

They arrived at the park around 1:30. It was a warm summer afternoon, but not overly humid, making it an ideal day to spend outside. They set out finding a spot to set up their things that was away from other park goers, both to help focus on studying and to give them some privacy. The park was pretty busy, as was expected, but the two teens eventually found a tree to sit under with nobody in the immediate area.

"Oh, this is perfect," Mina commented as got settled in, leaning against the trunk. "Nice and quiet."

"Yeah." Izuku took in their surroundings. The park was fairly expansive, with rolling hills of green with specs of color from flowers and animals. The air was filled with the sound of birds singing and insects buzzing. The trees swayed ever so slightly as a gentle breeze blew.

"Now I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty hungry. Gonna eat before we start any work," Mina said, pulling out her lunch. Izuku felt the same.

They ate in relative silence, drinking in the calm beauty around them. Every so often one would ask the other about their food, or point out something that caught their eye. Once they finished, they decided to begin studying. Naturally, it started off much smoother than yesterday, though Mina didn't get quite as into it this time. That said, they were still able to move at a good pace. About 45 minutes passed before they decided to take a short break.

"Man, this matrix stuff is confusing…" Mina muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"You're getting the hang of it though," Izuku pointed out. "We just need to keep practicing."

"Yeah, I know, brain workouts and all that. Doesn't mean it's not tough." Mina sat so her chin was resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. "…Thanks, by the way." The green-haired boy looked at her, slightly confused.

"For what?"

"For… Sticking with me through this. I mean, yesterday didn't exactly get off to a good start, and I feel a lot of other people would have just gotten too frustrated with me to continue." She knocked a fist against her head a few times. "I'm not exactly the brightest tool in the shed, so it's not easy for me to grasp all this stuff. But you're just so… Patient. You don't mind explaining something, like, five times in a row for me if you need to. It can't be easy, and I… I really appreciate it." She gave him a small smile, though there was a hint of sadness in it, as if to say "I don't deserve it."

"It's nothing, really!" He assured her. "I mean, what kind of person would I be if I just gave up on someone in need?" He did his best All Might-smile, complete with a thumbs-up as he said this. "Besides, I don't think… I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Mina. This stuff wasn't easy for me to grasp either. You're… You're a lot smarter than you think."

Mina's smile brightened.

"Why do you always know just what to say?" She asked, scooching closer to him. Izuku tugged at his collar.

"Uh… Well… Er…" He shuddered a bit as he felt a familiar feeling on his hand. Looking down he saw, sure enough, Mina had grabbed it. He gulped, looking back up at her.

Like so many times before, the two of them stared at each other, neither one saying a word. Once again, the rest of the world seemed

Mina could feel it. This was the time to ask.

"Hey, Izuku…? Um, are we…"

"Midoriya? Ashido? Is that you?"

The sound of a distant, familiar voice calling out immediately drew Mina and Izuku out of their trance. Turning towards the source of the sound, their eyes simultaneously widened.

Tenya Iida was currently jogging towards them, waving enthusiastically.

Izuku felt all the color drain from his face. He practically screamed as he quickly pulled away from Mina, wanting to create some distance. Mina apparently had the same idea. Fortunately, Iida seemed to be too far away to have noticed how close they had been.

"Ah, it is you! Enjoying the nice weather, I see!" The Class 1-A representative greeted as he got close enough to speak at a normal volume. Well, normal for Iida anyway.

"U-Um… H-Hey, Iida. What b-brings you h-here?" Izuku was practically shaking he was so frightened.

"I was just out for a run before meeting up with some of our classmates later." He paused. "Ah, Uraraka did mention you wouldn't be making it because of other plans. I take it this is what she meant?"

"Er… Well, you see…" Izuku was scrambling for a way out of this. Mina simply watched and stayed silent. The bespectacled boy looked at her, then back at Izuku, then back to her.

"Hm… Forgive me for prying, but I can't help but find it strange to find you two here alone. Why not join us at the beach? I'm certain you were both invited."

Izuku internally screamed. Iida had somehow failed to immediately guess why they were here, but he was going to quickly figure it out.

Should he just tell the truth? He didn't want to lie to his friend, of course, but he didn't feel ready to disclose something like this.

"Um… Well, uh… See, Mina and I… We're…"

"…Heeeeee's helping me with studying!" Mina chimed in suddenly, leaning in to get Iida's attention. "Yeah. I, uh, I talked about it with him the day we went to Kiyashi Ward." While that wasn't actually true, everyone knew the two of them had spent time together that day. "We just… Didn't want to get too distracted is all, so we decided to come here on our own!"

Mina didn't really talk to Iida, but she and everyone else in the class knew he had a fervent respect for academics. Hopefully bringing that up would distract him. Iida stared intensely, light reflecting off his glasses so they masked his eyes.

"Is that so…?" He turned away, stroking his chin. "To think you would use your time off to help a fellow student…" He spun back around, a look of admiration on his face. "Truly, you embody what it means to be a U.A. student, Midoriya! You are a shining example to us all!" He glanced at Izuku's companion. "And you, Ashido! Using the vacation to study! It is good to see you taking your education seriously. I see the results of your final haven't hurt your conviction in the slightest!"

Mina gave a blank stare, opening her mouth and then closing it.

Was that supposed to be a compliment?

"I am… So honored that I was chosen to represent a class of such students!" Iida looked like he was on the verge of tears as he clenched a fist in front of his face.

Mina couldn't help but muse that Izuku had technically been chosen first.

"Well then, I shall let you two return to your work. I apologize for interrupting," the engine-legged boy bowed to his classmates before running back to the path to continue his jog.

Mina and Izuku sat completely still for several seconds after he was out of sight. They then simultaneously let out a massive sigh of relief. Izuku covered his face with his hands while Mina just shook her head, a bewildered look on her face.

"…Thanks," Izuku's muffled voice said. "I… I didn't know what to do."

"Don't mention it… God…!" Mina leaned against the tree. "What… What _is_ he?" Her date uncovered his face.

"He's… He's really intense, but… H-He's a good friend, trust me," he stammered, trying to defend Iida a little.

"I couldn't tell if he was complimenting me or insulting me," Mina remarked, letting out a small laugh. "Like… Holy crap. What a character." She turned her head to look at Izuku, who looked just as lost as she did. Iida's intrusion had totally spoiled the mood, and she had lost any drive to bring up their relationship anymore. "So… Back to work?" Izuku looked at her, a hand over his chest as he breathed a bit heavily.

"Um, sure, just… Just give me a minute."

* * *

The afternoon seemed to fly by for Izuku and Mina. They spent about another hour studying before deciding they'd had enough, and decided to enjoy the outdoors. They walked around the park, spent some time on a playground or two, and just sat and took in the scenery together. Mina would periodically find some way to flirt with her date, knowing just the right thing to say or do to get him flustered. As the day went on, they went to a nearby American chain and grabbed a quick bite to eat before Mina insisted they returned to the park for one last thing.

The two U.A students were walking through a wooded trail in the park that slowly seemed to be leading uphill. Mina claimed she had something amazing to show Izuku at the top. Naturally, he was slightly worried given her mischievous nature, but he went with it.

"Come on, it's not much farther!" Mina excitedly exclaimed, literally jumping as she spoke.

"You said that 20 minutes ago…" Izuku reminded her, looking at the sky. The sun was starting to set, and he was worried they'd run out of daylight before getting back.

"Well, I mean it this time. In fact…" As they rounded a bend, Mina stopped and gestured outward with her hands. "Behold!" Izuku's jaw dropped as he took in the sight before him.

They had reached an overlook that gave an impressive view of most of the park, as well as the surrounding city. The sun glowed over the horizon as it began its descent.

"…Wow."

"Pretty sweet right? But that's not the best part." Mina grinned as she led the awestruck boy over to a huge tree that was growing nearby. "Here we are." Izuku gave the pink girl a look of confusion.

"I'm not sure I'm following…"

"Meet you at the top!" Was all Mina said before she tossed her backpack to the ground, leapt up to catch a large, low tree branch, and hoisted herself up. She stood on it, turning around to face Izuku. "Well, you coming?"

"Wh…What!?" Izuku cried, taking a step back. "Y-You want me to c-climb that? To the top?" The tree was at least 60 feet tall.

"Yeah. Just follow my lead, I know a good way up it." She pulled herself up another branch as if she was some sort of monkey.

Mina knew it was going to take some coaxing to get him to climb, but she had no intention of letting him back out of this.

"B-But… Isn't that d-dangerous?" Izuku looked up and down the tree, unsure if it would be able to support him at certain points.

"Dude, I've been climbing this bad boy for years. Trust me, it's safe." She neglected to tell her date about the couple times she fell out of this particular tree; she had learned a safe way up through trial and error, to say the least.

She lifted herself onto a third branch, looking back at the ground.

"M-Mina, please! You're getting too high up!" Izuku was starting to panic. What if she fell from there?

"Well, come get me down then," she teased, sticking her tongue out as she continued her ascent. Izuku ran in place a bit, nervously trying to decide what the best course of action was. Did he use Full Cowl to jump up and get her? No, that was too dangerous; he would need to hop between a few branches to get to Mina, and that much force hitting the tree might cause her to fall before he got to her. And trying to talk her down was clearly not working.

Fully aware of bad how of an idea it was, Izuku stood back, got a running start, and leapt for the low tree branch Mina had grabbed. He managed to get a hold of it before slowly getting himself on top.

"Woohoo! There you go!" He heard Mina call down. She seemed to be waiting for him. "Now, go exactly where I did and you'll be fine!"

"This is way too… Hnng… Dangerous!" He called up to her as he pulled himself up the second branch, grateful for his upper body strength. Mina couldn't help but stare as he pulled himself up.

He was a lot stronger than he looked. She couldn't help but wonder just what was under that shirt of his.

As he got on top of the third branch, Izuku found himself face-to-face with an upside-down Mina. She was hanging from the branch above by her legs.

"AAh! M-Mina, that's r-really r-r-risky! Please, let's go back down!" The scared boy pleaded once again. Mina put her hands behind her head, giving one of her trademark grins.

"Sheesh, Izuku, I thought you were all about aiming for the top!" She said with a wink. With this, she leaned back a little bit before swinging her whole upper body forward, towards Izuku. She managed to bend her body enough to grab the branch, and pulling up so that she was suddenly sitting on it.

Izuku simply watched the display, mouth agape.

He continued to follow her, doing everything in his power not to look down. He had to admit, there was something exciting about climbing such a large tree to him. He hadn't done anything like this during his childhood, and it was rather exhilarating. Of course, it was still terrifying.

Eventually, he caught up with Mina, who stopped on what appeared to be the end. While it wasn't quite at the top of the tree, it was pretty close.

And though his face was pale from the fear he was experiencing, Izuku could see why she wanted to come up here.

A cluster of large branches had formed a sort of platform near the top of this tree, one that looked fairly sturdy. There was enough room for the two of them to sit comfortably with their legs outstretched; Mina had already done so, and was gesturing for Izuku to sit next to her. Still a bit shaky from being up so high, he managed to make his way to his spot.

The view at the base of the tree was nice, but up here it was simply breathtaking.

"This is…" Izuku was at a loss for words. He literally felt on top of the world.

"See? Worth it, right? And you were worried," she teased.

"I-It's still dangerous!" Izuku insisted, his face heating up. Mina giggled, snuggling up against him.

"Well, what's life without a little danger, hm?" She grabbed hold on his hand, resting her head on his shoulders like she did at the theatre last night. Izuku once again tensed up, but relaxed surprisingly quickly. He quietly rested his head on hers, again just like the night before.

They sat for a moment, admiring the skyline as the sun continued to set. Some clouds had blown in during the day, leaving a streak of pinks, oranges, and reds across the sky. The rustling of leaves in the wind and the drone of the evening cicadas were the only sounds aside from their breathing.

Slowly, Izuku forgot about how high up they were, and instead focused on the feeling of Mina up against him. He was experienced all the same emotions he had in the theatre last night, but even stronger. Her hair tickled his cheek as she rubbed her head back and forth, a gesture he returned in kind.

They both could sense it. _This_ was the moment they had both been waiting for.

"…Izuku-

"Hey, Mina-

They spoke almost simultaneously. They each felt a knot in their stomach when they realized the other had said something, and pulled their heads away so they could look at each other.

"…Y-You first," Izuku insisted. Color was rushing to each of their faces.

"Um… Well…" Mina looked down a bit. "I wanted to bring this up earlier, before Iida… Happened."

"…Mhm?" Izuku felt his heartrate begin to increase.

"Well, it's about…" She took a breath. "Well, us." She turned her gaze back to his face. "We clearly feel… Something for each other. And we've gone on 2 dates now…"

"U-Um, actually… I-I was just about to b-bring this up too." She could see Izuku shaking slightly. "Because, um… I… I kind of… I kind of want to keep doing this." He mustered up the courage to look her straight in the eye. "…I r-really want to keep seeing you, Mina."

Mina felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. A huge smile crept onto her lips.

"Haha… Funny, I was going to say the same…" Her voice was about as shaky as Izuku was as she grabbed his other hand, pulling it in so they their hands were side by side. "S-So… U-um, Izuku… Do you wanna be my… My…"

"…Boyfriend?" Izuku squeaked in a high-pitched voice.

"Y…Yeah." Her face was on fire. Izuku stared wide-eyed, as if he didn't believe what he was hearing, before nodding enthusiastically.

"D…Does that m-mean you want to… Want to b-be my… My…"

"Girlfriend… And, yes! Yes, I do!" She squealed in delight, pulling the red-faced boy into a loving embrace. She felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her chest. Izuku was caught off guard for a second before hugging her with equal gusto. They held each other for a minute or so before separating, each smiling at each other with as much radiance as the sun setting before them.

"…N…Now what?" Izuku asked. Mina leaned against him, returning to the position she had been in before they had started talking. He quickly responded by doing the same.

"Let's just… Stay here awhile," She suggested, smiling as he rested his head on hers.

"…Sounds good."

They stayed that for about 5 minutes, neither saying a word. Suddenly, Izuku felt Mina shift her weight, turning her head slightly.

His eyes threatened to pop out of his head when he felt her lips gently press against his cheek.

"M-M-M-M-Mina!" The now tomato-faced Izuku yelped. "Wh-Wh-What was…"

"Just… Felt that'd make it kinda official, you know?" Mina murmured, squeezing his hand.

Izuku took several minutes to process that yes, Mina had just kissed him. He debated what to do for several more.

Eventually, Mina felt a similar shift as Izuku moved, and her face lit up as she felt the sensation of lips pecking against her cheek.

"Izuku…"

"Mina…"

They reached across with their outside arms so that they were now holding both hands between themselves. Cuddling against each other, they spent another good hour just watching the sunset together. It was, for them, a perfect moment.

* * *

Ochaka Uraraka yawned as she finished backing her things. It had been a fun yet tiring day of activity at the beach, and she was ready to head home.

She had spent the afternoon with a few friends from class, including Iida, Tooru, Tsuyu, and Kaminari. She walked up to the aforementioned class rep as he was also finishing gathering his belongings.

"This sure was fun, huh Iida?" She asked, smiling at her classmate.

"Indeed. We ought to do this again before our break ends." He paused. "Perhaps next time Midoriya and Ashido won't be too busy studying to join us."

Uraraka froze as he said this.

"…Sorry, what did you say?" Both of her friends had mentioned they had plans and couldn't come to the beach, but they hadn't specifically mentioned what.

"Ashido and Midoriya. I ran into them at the park while I was on my afternoon run. They were in the middle of studying together, though, so I didn't want to disturb them for very long." He hoisted a bag over his shoulder. "I admire their commitment to their education, though it would be nice for them to join us next time we did this."

Uraraka stared blankly at the sand as Iida began to walk off. For some reason, her stomach felt like a knot that was being tightened.

What were they doing together on their own?

Why didn't they tell her that's what they were doing?

…And why did it bother her so much?

"Uraraka? Are you coming?" Iida's voice got her attention. She shook her head quickly, disregarding the bizarre sensation she just felt, and looked up.

"Yep! Just was making sure I didn't forget anything!"

She started after Iida, trying to forget whatever those thoughts just now were.

* * *

Phew! This one took a little more time to write than most, despite the earlier-than-normal update. Where will things go from here? Stay tuned and find out!


	7. Controlling the Flame

Yay, another chapter! Just a forewarning, the next update might be a little later than normal due to the holidays, but I'll do what I can to get it out ASAP.

* * *

Mina was almost singing as she entered her house. She had come home from her date last night in a good mood, but that was nothing compared to how she was feeling right now. Kicking off her shoes, she practically skipped out of the entryway into the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm home!" The pink girl called out as she checked the cabinets for something to eat. It was about 8:30, and she was feeling a little hungry. She moved about the kitchen like a dancer, twirling and skipping as she hummed to herself.

Mina had anticipated experiencing a great deal of surprises while at U.A., but a romantic relationship was not one of them. Not that she was complaining, of course.

Izuku Midoriya was her boyfriend.

That single thought had been continuously running through her head ever since their conversation atop the tree. She must have mentally told herself those words over a hundred times now, and they still filled her with absolute glee.

"Eeeee!" She squealed with delight, unable to contain herself as the realization hit her once again.

"Someone's in a good mood tonight," A voice came. Mina turned to see a woman with similar eyes to hers standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Mom!" Mina felt her cheeks burning up. "Er… How long were you…"

"Half a minute or so… But who's counting?" The woman said with a wink.

Unsurprisingly, Mina looked a lot like her mother. Like Mina, her hair was naturally curly, though unlike her daughter she wore it at shoulder length. Also unlike her daughter, Mina's mother had brown hair. In fact, aside from her eyes, she looked like a completely regular human. No pink skin, no horns, nothing.

"…Oh." Mina awkwardly shuffled her feet a bit before grabbing an apple from a bowl next to her.

"Another late night?" Her mother sounded slightly more serious. "You _were_ studying with a friend, right?" The tone in the older woman's voice suggested she didn't exactly believe that was what Mina had been up to. Mina nodded rapidly.

"Yes, I swear!" Her voice sounded slightly panicked. Her mom folded her arms. "…Alright, that…" The horned girl fidgeted a bit, unsure of how to explain herself. Should she just be upfront about her new situation? "Okay, look, I totally studied with someone today… And yesterday! But… I, um, maaaay have done a few other things too." She gave a big, sheepish smile. While she hadn't actually been grounded, she wasn't sure if her mom would be happy knowing she had spent of her time goofing off instead of working on her grades.

The brunette stared at her daughter with a stern look for a few seconds. Suddenly, she seemed to relax, putting a hand on her hip and giving a sly smirk.

"…What's his name?"

Mina's eyes went wide as she nearly dropped her apple.

"I… Huh…" She fake-coughed a couple times. "What are you talking about?" Her cheeks were turning lilac.

"You're not being very subtle about it, dear." Mina's mother's smirk grew. "2 nights now you've come home after spending all day with a 'friend' acting like the happiest girl on the planet." She walked over to the shorter girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I was your age once, Mina, remember? I know the signs." Her smirk turned into a grin, very much like one of Mina's. "Besides, I'm your mother; it's my job to know these things, sweetie." Mina looked away slightly.

"…Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya." The horned girl couldn't help but smile as she said his name.

"Midoriya?" Mrs. Ashido cocked her head. "Haven't I heard that name before?"

"He's in my class." She paused. "He was at the sports festival. You know, the guy who fought Endeavor's son?" Her mother gasped.

"That green-haired boy? The one who nearly tore himself apart in that fight?" Mina's entire family had been amazed by Izuku's perseverance and heart during that match. Somehow, she wasn't very surprised to hear that Mina had taken an interest in the boy.

"Yeah, he's… Kinda reckless like that when he wants to be. But he's actually really shy. And super sensitive. And kind. And passionate. And…" Mina caught herself starting to gush about her boyfriend, and blushed.

"Sounds like a keeper," her mother teased. Mina got her wit from someone, after all. "Well, I certainly look forward to meeting him!" It was evident Mrs. Ashido had no issues with her daughter dating. "Preferably before you leave for camp. No telling what you kids might get up to there…"

"Mom!" Mina's whole face changed color. The long-haired woman laughed.

"Only kidding, dear." She winked. "But really, I'd love to have him over sometime this week. Just say when!" Her daughter's face slowly turned back to its normal pink shade.

"I… Think I'll wait until dad gets home this week at least. I'd rather have Izuku meet everyone at once." Mina's father would be getting back from his trip in about 3 days, and she had a feeling it was going to take at least that much time for Izuku to muster up the courage to visit her home anyway.

The acid Quirk user felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out of her pocket, seeing who messaged her.

"Is that him?" Her mother asked in a teasing voice. Mina's blush answered her question. "Well, I'll stop pestering you about him. For now." With that, she exited the kitchen, going back to whatever it was she was doing.

Mina sighed as the brunette left. She had been planning on telling her mother about Izuku tomorrow, so having to talk about it now had caught her off guard. Still, she was glad to get it off her chest. She'd have to tell her dad when he got home.

Biting into her apple, she began typing back to Izuku. Their date had ended, but she was more than eager to keep talking to her green-haired cutie.

* * *

"Ooooooooh! My little Izuku's growing up so fast!"

Izuku struggled to breathe as he was caught in his mother's hug. He had gotten home around 9, and after being questioned by his mother about where he had been, the boy decided to tell her about Mina. He hated hiding things from her, and now that he knew where he and Mina stood, he felt much more comfortable talking about her.

And talk about her he did. He admittedly said far more about her than he intended, but he couldn't contain himself when he started. There were so many nice things to say about her, after all.

His mother's reaction had, as expected, been very emotional. This was evidenced by the death-grip she currently had her son in, as well as the waterworks soaking Izuku's clothes.

Inko Midoriya had been ecstatic just to learn her son was making friends at U.A. He hadn't really had any most of his childhood, so hearing that his new classmates were treating him kindly was an enormous relief to her. But this? Inko could hardly handle it. Knowing someone out there cared about her little Izuku after everything she'd seen him go through filled with her with an immense amount of joy. Mina Ashido, this kind-hearted girl her son had described, sounded like the most wonderful person in the world right now.

"You need to introduce me soon, got it?" She released Izuku, keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"G…Got it, mom." The Quirk inheritor recovered his breath as she spoke. He yawned; it was almost 9:30, and he had had a very busy day. "I'm going to head to bed, okay?" His mother nodded, letting go of him fully.

"Goodnight, Izuku," she said as he walked towards his room, grabbing another tissue to wipe her eyes.

"Night, mom."

A few minutes later, Izuku was lying in bed, having brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas. The lights were off, though his face was being illuminated by the light from his phone as he typed.

"Sorry, just finished talking to my mom."

"oh? how did she take it?"

"Well… She really wants to meet you now!"

Shortly after (reluctantly) saying goodbye to one another at the train station, Izuku had found himself texting his new girlfriend. He didn't have anything specific he wanted to say to her, but he just hadn't wanted to stop talking. They had chatted over the last hour and a half about a few random topics. Around 8:30, Mina had let him know she told her mother about their relationship. Or rather, her mom had figured out that they were in a relationship, apparently. This was actually what prompted Izuku to tell his own mom right away, rather than waiting. He'd rather not get surprised like Mina had.

It was incredibly nerve-wracking, of course; he had a hard-enough time telling himself he actually had a girlfriend now. His mom's reaction was about what was expected, but that didn't help diminish his anxiety in any way. Still, he was happy to know it sounded like both of their mothers were supportive of them dating.

"…Dating."

Just saying the word made Izuku blush a little. To think that just a few months ago he was questioning if he was going to make any friends at U.A. The concept of being in a relationship had never even crossed the boy's mind; who would want to date someone like him, after all? His brain had filed that idea away under "impossible" long ago. Even before receiving One for All, Izuku figured he had a better shot at becoming a hero than dating someone.

But, much like that faithful day with All Might, the impossible had suddenly become possible.

Izuku still didn't know what to fully make of it, honestly. He was obviously overjoyed to be in a relationship with Mina, but that didn't change the fact that he had no idea what he was doing when it came to this sort of thing; he had zero experience in the realm of romance, after all. How did one learn how to be a good boyfriend? It's not like there were classes he could take, or a book he could read. He should know; he had looked it up.

At the very least, he was very certain about what he thought about Mina. Everything he had been feeling about Mina the past few days had amplified; just thinking about her for long enough put a smile on his lips and a blush on his face. He gingerly touched his left cheek, recalling the kiss the pink-haired girl had left there, and sighed happily.

He would try to be the best boyfriend he could be, if nothing else. Mina deserved no less.

His fingers continued to move as he typed another message to the girl. He was tired, but he couldn't bring himself to stop texting her.

A few hours later, Izuku was fast asleep, phone still clutched in his hand with a message half-typed on the screen.

* * *

Izuku never got tired of the feeling of a shower after a tough workout.

After feeling tired and sore from exercise, the hot, steaming water was incredibly relaxing. It felt so nice he would sometimes stay under the water for nearly a half hour, despite only really needing about 5-10 minutes to get clean. If he was in a particularly good mood he might start singing, though that was only if he knew for sure that his mom wasn't home. Today wasn't such a day.

The green-haired boy decided he had been soaking long enough, and stepped out of the shower. He breathed in deeply, savoring the refreshing, clean feeling he was experiencing after being drenched in sweat. A few minutes later he was dried off and dressed, ready to take on the rest of the day.

It was about 1 o'clock, which was unusually late for Izuku; normally on his days off from school, he'd be out of bed and done with his morning workout by about 10 or 11. However, the aspiring hero had a bit of a late start today, namely due to the fact that he had stayed up much later than normal.

Mina was the cause of this, of course. They had ended up spending hours texting one another last night. In fact, Izuku wasn't really sure what time he fell asleep. All he knew was that he had legitimately passed out in the middle of typing out a message, demonstrating just how tired he had been.

He had never had a conversation last that long, text or otherwise. Thinking back, it was hard to remember what they had even talked about; they had discussed so many topics, it all seemed to blend together. Heroes, school, their friends, each other – They spent a LOT of time talking about each other – hobbies, you name it. Izuku was half asleep for a lot of it, which might explain why he was having so much trouble remembering things.

Come to think of it, he didn't recall if they had made any plans for today. Stepping out of his room into the hallway, he began scrolling through the (very long) list of messages he and Mina had sent each other. At some point, it seemed the topic came up, though no concrete plans were made. However, one exchange of texts got Izuku's curiosity.

"u gonna b home tomorrow?" Mina had asked.

"I think so. I don't really have anything planned beyond my morning routine."

"cool"

He had asked her why, but she simply changed the subject.

Before he could ponder the cryptic exchange any further, a knock was heard at the door.

"Izuku, could you get that please?" Inko's voice came from the kitchen. Walking over to the door, Izuku checked through the peephole to see nobody. Thinking it may have been someone dropping off a package or something, he opened the door.

Within seconds a pink blur came hurtling from around the corner and practically tackled him. It took him a moment to register who it was.

Suddenly, those texts made sense.

"Hiya, Izu!" Mina's cheerful voice greeted as she ensnared her boyfriend. Izuku's brain went haywire.

"M-M-Mina!" She was here. At his house. "Wh-Wha… What are you d-doing here?" He struggled against her grip a bit before she released him. She was wearing an outfit fairly similar to the one she had yesterday, and had her school bag with her.

"Well that's a silly question. I'm here to see you, duh!" She had a huge grin on her face. Izuku was shaking as his entire face turned dark red. Mina put on an exaggerated pouty face. "What, you're not happy to see me?"

"Wha-N-No! Of… Of c-course I am!" Izuku held his hands up, smiling despite the extreme anxiety he was feeling. "I, I just… H-How did you even f-find my apartment?"

"You, dummy." She poked his chest. "You told me your address last night, remember?" Pulling out her phone, Mina brought up the message in question. "See?" Izuku blinked a few times to make sure he was reading things right. Sure enough, he in fact did send the pink girl his address. Very late at night. "I always have trouble with these sorts of places. Ended up knocking on the wrong door, like, three time before this."

Izuku quickly put it together.

"…Y-You intentionally waited until it was l-late to ask me this, didn't you?" The mischievous girl put her hands behind her back, whistling as she looked up.

"…Maaaaaaybeeeee," she admitted, looking back at the boy with a sly smile. Izuku gave an exasperated sigh. This girl was going to drive him insane. "Well?"

"What?" Mina put a hand on her hip.

"Aren't you going to invite your girlfriend inside?" She raised an eyebrow, asking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Just hearing the world "girlfriend" made Izuku feel like he was going to faint.

"O-Oh! R-Right, please, um… W-Won't you come in?" He nearly tripped as he repositioned himself, making space for his guest to enter as he gestured inside with an arm. Mina giggled, tussling the green mop on her boyfriend's head.

"So cute." Was all she said as she entered. Naturally, this line and gesture turned Izuku into a stammering beet.

It only got worse when a third voice joined the conversation.

"Izuku, who's at the…" The two students turned to see Inko Midoriya standing in the hallway, her hands covering her mouth as she stared bug-eyed at Mina. The aforementioned girl gave one of her usual smiles.

"Hiya! You must be Mrs. Midoriya. I'm Mina Ashido!" She greeted enthusiastically. The older woman responded with a muffled squeal of joy before pulling Mina into a hug. "Woah!"

"It's so good to meet you!" She cried, releasing the struggling girl after a moment. There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. "My son had so much to say about you last night!"

"Oh?" Mina turned to look at Izuku, who was trying to hide his face at this point. "Really? Like what?" A smirk appeared on her face as she watched the flustered boy squirm.

"M-Mom!" Izuku more or less squawked. "Can…. Can we t-talk about that l-later please?" Realizing her son's embarrassment, Inko decided to oblige him.

"I must say I'm surprised to be meeting you so soon though! I thought Izuku would have told me you were coming over."

"Well, he didn't exactly know. I kinda wanted to surprise him…" The girl rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry if I'm being a pain."

"Nonsense! In fact, I was just about to make lunch for us. Would you like to join?" Mina's eyes sparkled with delight.

"Really? Thanks, Mrs. Midoriya! I'd love to!" The woman smiled at the horned girl.

"Right this way then!" She exclaimed, walking back into the kitchen. Mina returned her attention to Izuku once they were alone.

"Dude, your mom's amazing!" Evidently free food was a surefire way to win Mina over. "I can see why you're such an emotional sweetheart now," she teased, clapping him on the back.

"Haha… Th-Thanks…" Izuku muttered.

He hadn't fully recovered from the fact that Mina was in his home. In truth, he actually wasn't sure how okay he was with the idea. Not that he wasn't glad to see Mina, of course; she was honestly all he could think about these last couple days. But at the same time, this felt a little too personal to him. Their relationship had developed incredibly quickly, but Izuku had hoped that things might have slowed down once the two of them had decided to become a couple. Things had escalated that much due to the two of them trying to figure out their feelings; now that they had, moving that quickly almost felt… Unnatural to Izuku.

Neither he nor Mina had any experience when it came to romantic relationships. Sure Mina admitted to having a crush or two and flirting here or there, but she had never come close to a serious relationship with someone. They were both pretty well out of their element, and seemed to be taking it in different directions.

"Izu?" Mina's voice came.

Realizing he was probably standing there mumbling all this to himself, Izuku shook himself from his thoughts.

"Sorry, just…" He cleared his throat, forcing himself to loosen up a bit. "I-I see you have your school s-stuff… Did you want to do some studying after l-lunch?"

"That was the idea. Unless you had something else in mind?" He did not like Mina's tone as she said that. "I mean, with your mom home I don't think…" Izuku made what sounded like a distressed bird call as his blush came back, earning another giggle from his girlfriend. "Kidding, kidding! Now come on, I feel bad not helping your mom if she's gonna feed us." She grabbed the human tomato's arm and pulled him along towards where she assumed the kitchen was.

Izuku sighed to himself. He was going to need to bring up his concerns to Mina soon.

* * *

Mina could add "having an awesome mom" to the long list of things that made Izuku such a great guy.

Mrs. Midoriya immediately took a liking to the upbeat pink girl that had decided to visit her home. Despite coming to see Izuku, Mina found herself mostly talking with Inko for the majority of their lunch. The woman wanted to know all about her son's girlfriend, and said girlfriend was more than happy to oblige. Mina in turn learned much more about Izuku's home life, including some very embarrassing stories only a mother could know. Izuku had initially protested his mother divulging such information, but soon resigned himself to the teasing Mina was almost assuredly going to put him through later.

He did draw the line at his mother showing baby photos, though, much to Mina's disappointment.

Once lunch was finished and the dishes were all put away, Mina and Izuku decided to settle down and begin their study session.

But not before Mina insisted on seeing her boyfriend's room.

"I-Is that r-really necessary?" Izuku stammered as she brought up the subject. "I-I mean, we could just study right here, or on the couch…"

"But I wanna see your roooom!" The horned girl whined. "Come oooon, what's the big deal?" She feigned a surprised gasp. "Unless… You've got something you don't want me to see?" Izuku opened his mouth to speak, knowing full well where she was going with this. "Are you hiding something naughty, Izu?"

"N-N-NO!" The green-haired boy shrieked, his face burning up. "I-I-It's nothing l-like that! I-I wouldn't… I don't…" He let out a huge sigh as he hung his head, knowing full well his girlfriend was just teasing him yet again. "…You're not going to stop unless I show you, are you?"

"Nope!" Mina assured him, flashing a toothy grin with her eyes shut. She was having too much fun with all this.

"…Alright, fine." Izuku was almost certain this was a huge mistake, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could take Mina's antics. "…Also, why are you calling me 'Izu' now?"

"Because it suits you! It's short and cute, just like you!" This line combined with a hug turned Izuku's face at least 8 different shades of red in less than a second. Despite that, he couldn't help but smile as he felt that warm, fuzzy sensation in his chest once again.

He may have not have been that comfortable with Mina's surprise visit, but there was a part of him that was enjoying it regardless. He cared about Mina, after all, and every little flirtatious comment was just a reminder that she cared about him just as much. It was why despite how awkward it made him look, he didn't ask her to stop.

"... Hey wait, I'm taller than you though," he pointed out. She didn't seem to hear him.

Getting up from the dining room table, Izuku led his companion back to the entry hall and over to his bedroom door. Mina stifled a laugh at the All Might-themed sign on the door. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly turned the doorknob. He clamped his eyes shut as he slowly opened the door.

After a few seconds of silence, he hesitantly opened one eye. Mina was staring at him, a massive smile plastered on her face.

"Dude." She shook her head. "You are _such_ a fanboy!"

All Might posters on every wall. All Might action figures on every desk, drawer, and table. All Might comics cramming the shelves. Heck, there was even an All Might rug on the floor.

To be honest, Mina wasn't surprised.

"I…" Izuku tried to think of something to say. "…I know, it's weird…" He was well aware of how unhealthy his All Might obsession could look.

"Weird? You kidding? It's super cool!" The pink girl entered the All Might shrine that was Izuku's room, marveling at the collection of merchandise. "Some of this stuff looks really old… Must have been tough to find!" She took note of a particular figure that was still in its box. "Hey, I think I recognize that! Isn't it, like, super rare!"

"Yes, it was a limited-edition kind of thing made for a comic. There were only 100 made," Izuku explained, walking into his room as he talked. "See, it's the costume he wore during Astonishing All Might #84 in that one flashback scene on the 32nd page, and…" He trailed off as he noticed the blank stare Mina was giving him. "Um… Yeah, it's a really are figure."

"Faaaaaanbooooooy," Mina whispered. She noticed the set of weights tucked away in the corner of the room. "Ooooooo."

"Well… A hero needs to stay in shape, right?" Mina walked over to the weights as he spoke.

"Holy crap, 25 pounds!?" She cried as looked one over, glancing back at Izuku with a mischievous grin. "Just what've you got hiding under that shirt, Izu?" Her eyebrows waggled, a gesture that instantly turned her boyfriend into a blubbering mess. Feeling even more flirty than usual, she slowly walked up to the boy, who was of course completely red.

'Wh-What are y-you…?" He couldn't even finish his question he was so flustered.

"Come on, let me just take a peek." She winked. While the flirt had no intention of actually making Izuku take off his shirt, playing with him like this was amusing her to no end. Of course, she wouldn't mind getting a look; something told she was _really_ going to like what she saw.

"H-H-H-Huuuuuuh?" Coherent words were no longer in the blushing boy's vocabulary. Mina drew closer as he tried to process what the heck was going on.

"Just one peek. Pretty please?" The gap between them was only a few inches wide now, so she spoke softly. Her heart was starting to beat a little faster. Something in the back of her mind told her she should stop this, but she tuned it out.

"W-W-W-W… We…. We should…" Izuku's breathing was growing more rapid as his heartrate accelerated.

"We should what?" Her grin turned devilish. "You and me, alone in your room… What should we do…?" She leaned in closer…

And was promptly moved back.

"MINA, STOP!" Izuku had hit his limit and, almost reflexively, pushed Mina away from him. Both students were momentarily stunned by this sudden outburst. Izuku recovered first, looking a little regretful. "I'm… I'm sorry." He paused to let out a loud sigh. "Just… I just… We…" Finding the right words was difficult. "…Look, th-this is all a bit… A bit too much for me," he started. "Like… D-Don't you think we're m-moving a little too fast?" Mina finally reacted, going from a shocked expression to a more somber one as he spoke. "L-Like, w-we just started d-d-dating, and you're a-already showing up at my h-home, in my r-room, and…"

"Stop." His girlfriend held up a hand, signaling him to be quiet. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she too sighed. "I… I understand."

Looking back, Mina was astounded she hadn't expected something like this. She had devised her little scheme to show up unannounced at Izuku's place last night, never once thinking about how he might react. She knew he'd turn into a blubbering tomato-man; that's what she was counting on, in fact. But she had gotten so caught up in her excitement over having a boyfriend that she completely forgot to consider his feelings on the matter. She was overflowing with adoration for the boy, and it had blinded her somewhat.

She felt like an idiot for not noticing the signs. Izuku had been even more awkward than normal this whole time, and not necessarily in a good way. Thinking about it, he had looked downright uncomfortable. How had she not seen that?

She had been treating him like a boyfriend first, and Izuku second.

Had she ruined things between them with this little stunt?

"…I'll… I'll just head home, if you want." Mina honestly felt a little disgusted with herself. Izuku shook his head.

"No, i-it's alright, really," he started. He hadn't meant to upset her.

"No. No, it's not. You're absolutely right, I did take things a bit too far… Again." She turned to leave, but a hand grabbing her shoulder made her stop.

"P-Please wait, Mina," Izuku's pleading voice came. "I… I'm not saying I don't… Don't appreciate it." The girl turned her head to look at him, confused. "L-Like, I know you're… I know you're just doing a-all this because you… Because you care about me." His eyes moved down as he said this, a small blush and smile creeping on his face. "And that… That means so much to me. But…" He looked back up at his girlfriend, who had now fully turned around. "I'm just worried that if we… If we take things too far too soon, we'll…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. His words seemed to cheer Mina up a bit. She placed a hand over the one on her shoulder, rubbing her thumb along it gently.

"Yeah… I get it." She chuckled softly, slowly shaking her head. "You're so damn logical, you know?" A shy smile appeared on Izuku's face as he looked away slightly. "Alright, I'll just…" She paused. "We'll just take it nice and slow." There was a warm, gentle smile on her face.

"It's…It's kinda like a candle, you know?" Mina raised an eyebrow as Izuku spoke. "Like… If it burns too much too fast, it… It runs out. But if you keep it under control, it… It lasts and…" Realizing how ridiculous that just sounded, the green-haired boy put his free hand over his face. "Er…" Mina couldn't contain her laughter.

"What is it with you and these weird comparisons, man?" She joked, pulling him into another hug. It was a much gentler hug than the others, one Izuku found himself being fine with. "Our relationship is a candle… You dork." Her boyfriend said nothing, simply completing the embrace. After holding her for a few seconds, he suddenly felt the urge to further show his appreciation for the girl in his arms.

Before he knew it, he had turned his head and planted a small kiss on her cheek.

Pulling away slightly, Mina gave the now red-faced boy a sly look.

"Um, what was that, Mr. Let's-Slow-Things-Down?" Izuku avoided her gaze.

"Um… Haha… It, um… It just felt… Right?"

"Well them, if you get to do that, I get to do… This." She leaned in, placing a slightly longer kiss on the boy's cheek.

She could feel the heat radiating off his face.

The two of them each had butterflies in their stomachs as they looked at one another. Mina started to laugh for no particular reason. Izuku soon joined in. There was nothing particularly funny about the situation, but they laughed all the same.

"Okay, okay… Maybe we can at least _try_ to get some studying in now," Mina suggested once they calmed down. "Let's go back out to the-oop, hold on." The feeling of her phone vibrating distracted the acid Quirk user as she checked it. "Hm… Looks like my friends are meeting up for something." She looked back up at Izuku, grinning. "But I should _really_ study…"

"Actually…" The boy's response was somewhat surprising. "I think you should go with them."

"Huh?" Mina blinked a few times.

"Well… We sort of both blew our friends off yesterday. Actually, we've sort of been doing nothing but seeing each other for last few days." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "M…Maybe that's why things escalated so much." Mina tilted her head, thinking.

"Oh man, you're right." It had been a little while since she had really spent time with her friends. "…Hm… Oh! I know. You should totally come with!" The suggestion completely caught her boyfriend off guard.

"C-Come again?"

"Yeah! You haven't really gotten to know any of them, right? Well, maybe Tsuyu, but not the others. Besides, maybe spending time together with other people around will help us out a bit." Like Izuku said, part of the reason Mina hadn't really thought about how fast their relationship was moving could have been the fact that they had spent most of their free time alone together for the past couple days.

"I... Well, yes… B-But…" Izuku was torn. On one hand, it sounded like fun, and his girlfriend had a point about it being good for their relationship. But on the other hand, it meant they'd have to tell her friends about said relationship. Unless they tried to hide it, which he doubted they could do even if they tried.

Was he ready to be public about this? He had told his mom, but that was a little different from his classmates. But then again, they were Mina's friends. They had a right to know, didn't they? Besides, it was inevitable that the whole class would find out one way or another. At least by doing this he could control when some of them learned about it.

Plus, it was a good reason to talk to more of his classmates.

"…Yeah, sounds good," he finally decided. Mina beamed.

"Great! I'll let 'em know you're coming!" She started typing. "Wait… Unless you don't want me to?" Izuku shook his head.

"I'd rather they know ahead of time." Really, neither situation was good in Izuku's eyes; her friends would either spend time theorizing what the two of them were doing together before they arrived, or would bombard them with questions when Izuku randomly showed up. But he'd rather not be put on the spot.

Still, he was glad Mina asked.

"Gotcha. Well, let's get moving then." The pink-haired girl made for the door, motioning for Izuku to follow. They made their way out of the room, putting on their shoes in the entry hall.

"Mom, Mina and I are heading out to meet some friends!" Izuku called out.

"Okay! Have fun you two!" Inko appeared from the kitchen doorway. "And Mina, please feel free to come by anytime! You're always welcome here!"

"You got it, Mrs. M! And thanks again for lunch!" She waved goodbye to the woman as she and Izuku headed out the door. She turned to him as they made their way to the exit of the complex. "Seriously, dude. Best. Mom. Ever."

"She's… She's really amazing, yeah," Izuku agreed. "She really liked you." He paused. "Just… Promise me you'll let me know next time you come over?" Mina held up a hand, sticking out her little finger.

"Pinky promise." She looked rather proud of her double entendre. Her companion stared at the finger for a second before he understood what he was supposed to do. Holding his own pinky out, they locked together. "…For now, anyway," she added with a wink.

They continued on their way.

* * *

A little bump in the relationship, but looks like it was quickly sorted out. Next time: The word spreads! Hope you enjoyed.


	8. Spreading the Word

Looks like I was able to make it in time for the holidays after all.

You may have noticed I added a cover image between last chapter and this. That drawing was done by one kiwikyu on Deviantart. Look them up to see more great art!

* * *

It was late afternoon, and the train station was bustling with activity. Stops were packed with workers either leaving for or returning from lunch breaks, students that still had school this week heading home for the day, and people simply out for the day. Among the crowds, a group of four familiar teens sat around a table at a small café, keeping an eye on one of the platforms as they talked.

"Come on, Tsuyu, you don't actually believe that," Kaminari leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head, said to his frog-like friend. "I mean, Midoriya? Seriously? We're talking about the same guy here, right?"

"For once I actually agree with him," Jirou noted, one earphone in her ear as she sat leaned forward with a hand supporting her chin. "I mean, I know she was with him the other day but still… I just don't see it."

"Didn't you guys see how funny she was acting on the last day of class?" Tsuyu asked, squatting on her chair like, well, a frog.

"Um… It's Mina. She's _always_ acting funny," Kaminari joked.

"Well yes, but more than usual, ribbit."

"Well… Given what happened to her the day before, I'd be surprised if she _didn't_ act strange," Jirou pointed out, shuddering a bit as she recalled the mall incident.

"True. But she was looking over at Midoriya a lot at lunch." Tsuyu turned to the group's fourth member. "Didn't you see that too, Kirishima?" The redhead, who had been quiet this whole time, simply shrugged.

"Can't say I remember," was all he said. The amphibious girl simply stared at him for a moment, though her expression was an unreadable as ever.

"Look, I'm just saying that Midoriya is _not_ Mina's type. Like, at all," Kaminari continued the argument. "Like, they're complete opposites."

"Plus, even if she does like him… It's Midoriya. Can you really imagine him dating someone?" Jirou laughed a bit as she spoke. "He's a nice guy and all, but I can't see them as anything more than friends."

"You guys are acting like you know the guy." Kirishima spoke up, nodding over at Tsuyu. "She's the only one here who's talked to him that much." The other male in the group looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What, you actually think she's right? You think they're a thing?"

"Didn't say that. Just saying, you two are making a lot of assumptions about the guy."

"I still think it's nuts. In fact, tell you what, Tsuyu," Kaminari turned back to his long-haired friend. "2000 yen says they're not together."

"Ribbit?" Tsuyu cocked her head.

Kirishima had to stifle a laugh.

"You heard me. You on?"

"Are you sure about this?" The frog girl asked. "I feel bad just taking your money, ribbit."

"Pfft, sure, whatever. Jirou, Kirishima, you want to get in on this?" The electrification Quirk user looked at his other friends.

"Thanks but no thanks," Jirou declined the offer.

Kirishima flashed a sharp-toothed grin.

"Yeah, sure, why not. 5000 yen says they're together."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Uh… Come again?" Kaminari's eyes were opened about as wide as Tsuyu's.

"Why not? I'm feelin' lucky." The blonde gave him a strange look, then smirked.

"Sure. But you better be ready to pay it forward." He held out his hand, shaking Tsuyu's and then Kirishima's.

Internally, Kirishima was laughing hysterically. He almost felt bad doing this.

Almost.

He wasn't surprised Tsuyu had caught on that Mina had feelings for Izuku; she had always been a very observant person. She didn't seem certain about it, though, suggesting she hadn't actually talked with their pink friend about it like he had.

"Oh hey, look who's here." Jirou pointed towards a train that had just stopped. Sure enough, the topic of the group's conversation had arrived, and were just stepping onto the platform. Mina gave her friends an energetic wave while Izuku, slightly behind her, offered a much more timid one. As they approached, Kaminari smirked.

"See? If they were dating they'd be holding hands or something. Knew it." Ignoring him, Kirishima waved to his childhood friend.

"Afternoon, guys!" The cheerful pink girl greeted her friends. "Sorry we're a little late, got a bit unlucky with the train schedule."

"Don't sweat it." Kirishima turned to look at the green-haired boy next to her. "Midoriya! How's it going, man?" Izuku, who had been clearly trying not to draw any attention to himself, struggled to make eye contact with the spikey-haired redhead.

"U-Um, hi Kirishima. I'm… Um… I'm doing f-fine." Izuku glanced around the table at the others, all people he knew and yet didn't know. "K-Kaminari. Jirou. Asui." He nodded to each of them as he greeted.

"I thought I told you to call me Tsuyu," the bug-eyed girl reminded him.

"Oh! R-Right, Tsuyu. Sorry." Mina saw Jirou sigh to herself, frowning somewhat. Jirou didn't dislike Izuku per say, but she had always seemed somewhat annoyed by his often overly emotional behavior. Kaminari had a huge grin on his face for some reason.

"It's okay," Tsuyu said to the boy. "By the way, are you and Mina dating? Ribbit."

Izuku's face went white. Everyone else turned to look at the frog girl, unsure if they heard her right.

"I… Hhh… Nnnnhg…" Izuku looked like a deer caught in headlights as he failed to form words. He had been expecting this topic to come up, but not so soon, and certainly not in so direct a manner.

"Uh, dude? I think you broke him." Kaminari was trying – and failing – to hold in his laughter.

"Has anyone told you that you can be a little _too_ direct?" Jirou asked, looking at her green-clad friend.

"Yes."

In an instant, all attention shifted from Tsuyu to Mina. There was a bit of lilac in her cheeks, her arms crossed.

"…Come again?" Kaminari had a look of utter disbelief in his eyes. Jirou seemed shocked too, though not quite as much.

"…You heard me." Mina grabbed Izuku's hand. "He and I are… Together. Right, Izuku?" She looked over at her boyfriend, who managed to snap out of his trance.

"…I didn't think they'd ask so fast," he finally muttered, sighing. Kaminari's face turned from one of surprise to one of terror as realization slowly dawned on him.

"Wait, so you… You and Midoriya are-

"I believe the agreed amount was 5000 yen, yes?" Kirishima interrupted, grinning devilishly at his friend.

"Don't forget my 2000. Ribbit." The loser of the wager faceplanted onto the table, letting out a muffled groan.

"Whhhhhhyyy?"

"See, this is why I didn't want to get involved." Jirou looked down at him, shaking her head. Mina and Izuku were utterly confused by the scene before them.

"What the heck… Wait. Did you guys have a _bet_ going about us?" Mina put her hands on her hips, glaring.

"He insisted," Tsuyu stated, pointing at Kaminari. "He bet me 2000 yen that you two weren't together. Then Kirishima bet him another 5000." Mina looked at her old friend, narrowing her eyes at him.

"That's dirty." She returned her gaze to Tsuyu. "Wait. You knew?"

"No, but it seemed obvious you liked him on our last day." She looked at Izuku, then back at the now-blushing Mina. "You certainly didn't waste any time."

"H-Hey!" The pink girl's blush only deepened. Izuku was more or less hiding behind her at this point, covering his face with his hands.

"Alright, alright," Kirishima held up his hands. "We can talk about their love life later. We're gonna scare off Midoriya if we keep this up." He looked at Kaminari again. "Well?" The blonde didn't look up, yet somehow managed to open his wallet and pull out Kirishima and Tsuyu's earnings. "Thanks, buddy!"

"Screw you."

* * *

Izuku didn't think he'd ever get used to being the center of attention.

Being the new addition to the group, it was only natural that all of Mina's friends wanted to know more about the Quirk inheritor. He was bombarded with questions from all sides, only getting a moment to breath when something else caught their attention for a brief moment. Oftentimes, it was something Mina would say, clearly trying to help her boyfriend out. However, Kirishima also seemed to be aware of Izuku's uncomfortableness, and made sure to make everyone back off when their questioning got to be too much.

Frankly, Kirishima was acting very differently from the rest of them. In fact, he hardly seemed to react when Mina had announced their relationship.

…Did he know already?

Despite being out of his element, though, Izuku was enjoying the company of his classmates. Mina's friend group had a very different dynamic from his, and being a part of it was certainly interesting. With the exception of Tsuyu, they all seemed to mock each other at any opportunity, though they thankfully laid off Izuku… For the most part. Mina, of course, made sure he was included in the fun, and as time went on the rest of the group felt more comfortable ribbing him as well.

And frankly, Izuku was glad they did. Much like Mina's jabs, none of them were actually trying to insult him. Being included in the joking made the timid boy feel welcome. It made him feel like these people actually _liked_ having him around, that they weren't just tolerating his presence because he was with Mina.

After spending a little time talking at the station, the group had wandered around a few city blocks for a few hours, checking out various storefronts along the way. In that time, Izuku could honestly say he considered his new companions friends. And he had a feeling they felt the same.

Currently, the group had stopped to get dinner at a beef bowl shop, and were all seated at a round table. Mina was, naturally, seated next to Izuku, on his right. Next to her was Kirishima, who was followed by Tsuyu, then Jirou, then Kaminari.

"…And that's why my uncle is banned from the zoo." The table erupted in laughter as Kaminari finished his story.

"He is _definitely_ your uncle," Jirou said between laughs.

"Yeah, he's-heeeey, what's that supposed to mean?" A smirk was the only answer the punk girl gave her friend. Before they started squabbling, a server came by with everyone's drinks. As they left the table, Kirishima held up his glass, banging a spoon against it to get everyone's attention.

"I just wanna take a second to congratulate our happy couple here," he announced, grinning. Mina and Izuku jumped a bit at this. "How 'bout it, guys?" The redhead held his glass towards the middle of the table. Deciding to go with it, the other three also held up their drinks. "To Izuku Midoriya and Mina Ashido." They all clinked their glasses together, the others giving small congratulatory remarks to the curly-haired couple. Naturally, all the attention had caused them both to change color, though they were still smiling. "…And to Denki Kaminari, for the easiest 5k I ever made," Kirishima added.

"Screw you! You totally knew, didn't you? I want my money back!" The blonde fumed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dude." Mina knew her friend was lying through his pointy teeth, but found the situation too amusing to speak up.

"I'll get you for this, you'll see!" Shaking his fist at Kirishima, Kaminari gestured towards the pair on his left. "But damn, seriously… After seeing you two together, I feel like an idiot – Yes, Jirou, more than usual – for making that bet." He elbowed Izuku playfully. "Turns out there's a lot more to Mr. Mumbles here than we thought, huh?"

Like most of the group, Kaminari had reevaluated his opinion of Izuku quite a bit in the past few hours. Not that any of them had necessarily thought poorly of him before, but they hadn't exactly thought well of him either.

"…Mr. Mumbles?" Izuku looked at his new friend with confusion. Kaminari had come up with a few nicknames for the boy, but that was a new one.

"It's because of your tendency to start talking to yourself," Tsuyu explained.

"O-Oh… I, uh, do that a lot, huh?" the green-eyed boy chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Hey man, we're all weird here." Kaminari clapped him on the shoulder. "I mean, look at who you're dating!" Izuku's cheeks began to warm up at the mention of his relationship.

"Oh ha ha." Mina rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of which…" The blonde leaned in close to Izuku, speaking in a low voice. "Come on man, spill it. You and Mina do anything… _Fun_ yet?" After taking a few seconds to process the question, Izuku's entire face turned beet-red as he literally leapt out of his seat.

"Wh-Wh-Whaaaat!? He shouted, earning a few looks from other tables. Kaminari was snickering to himself, only to cry out in pain as Jirou slapped him upside the head.

"Asshole," was all she said. Kirishima was trying to hold in his own laughter at the situation, while Mina was covering her face with her hands.

"Yeowch… I was just kidding… Mostly." Kaminari gently rubbed his head. Another slap. "Alright, alright! Not mostly! Sorry!" Izuku slowly returned to his seat, his face still a bit red.

He liked Kaminari's laid back attitude and quick wit, but found the electrification Quirk user had a tendency to go a bit far with his jokes. And that he seemed a wee bit too interested in what Izuku and Mina were doing together.

Izuku shouldn't have felt so surprised; he was friends with Mineta, after all.

He looked at the girl next to Kaminari, who was now scolding him for his perverse attitude. The two of them seemed to make fun of each other more than anyone else did in the group. Honestly, he sometimes questioned if it was all just for laughs.

Admittedly, Jirou was the one friend in the group Izuku had the toughest time getting along with at first. She had seemed somewhat annoyed by his awkward demeanor for a while, but eventually they found some common ground in musical tastes. Izuku wasn't nearly as knowledgeable about the subject as her, but he was able to have coherent conversation.

"Sorry about him. I think he's used his Quirk one too many times," the earphone-wielding girl directed her attention to Izuku. "Still, I will say he had a point. I… Thought you were kinda just a weird nerd with a weird Quirk." She paused. "I mean, I still think you're that, but that's not _all_ you are. Just mostly."

"Uh… Thanks?" Compliments from Jirou tended to be weirdly backhanded.

"And he's _my_ weird nerd!" Mina threw her arm around Izuku, pulling him close, a huge grin plastered on her face. Izuku's response to the gesture was as expected.

Due to their talk early that day, Mina had tried to tone down her displays of affection a little, especially in public like this, but she simply couldn't help herself sometimes. Izuku had accepted that he couldn't ask Mina to stop completely.

Nor did he want her to.

"That reminds me, I've been wanting to ask you guys something," Tsuyu spoke up. "How did this all start, anyway?" All eyes were on the pair once again.

"Yeah, I've been wondering that too," Kaminari added. "No offense, but this whole thing kinda came out of nowhere."

Izuku and Mina looked at each other with slight concern. They hesitated to say anything, neither being sure if it was okay to divulge information about that day in the classroom. They had both displayed a lot of personal feelings to each other that day, after all.

"Well…" Mina broke the silence. "See, it's… We just…" She shuffled back and forth in her seat uncomfortably. Izuku remained silent.

"Alright, that's enough," Kirishima chimed in, dissolving the sudden tension in the air. "You're asking for some pretty personal stuff there, Tsuyu." Mina and Izuku each breathed a sigh of relief at their friend's assist.

"I guess you're right. Sorry, you two," The frog girl apologized.

"It's okay. I know how you are, Tsuyu." Mina smiled to indicate she wasn't upset about it. "You're just too blunt for your own good sometimes."

"Ribbit."

Izuku had already known Tsuyu more than he had the others, so he already knew what to expect with her. Direct, observant, and mature were all the things that could appropriately describe the amphibious student. To be honest, she almost felt out of place with the rest of the group, Izuku included.

Kirishima almost seemed like the group's big brother. He'd always reign Kaminari in when things got too rowdy, or speak up when someone was starting to make Izuku feel a bit overwhelmed. Of course, he still joined in on the fun.

Izuku was almost certain the spike-haired redhead had known about his and Mina's relationship ahead of time, though. Did she tell him already? He'd have to remember to ask her later.

After a few more minutes of talking, everyone's food arrived, which they promptly dug into.

* * *

The evening wound down pretty quick after dinner. Jirou needed to head home once the group had finished to pack for her concert trip the next day, and Tsuyu needed to go help her family out. Mina and the guys spent a little more time loitering around the city, but soon decided to call it a day.

"I'll catch you guys later." Kaminari waved goodbye to his friends as he split off from them at the train station. "Hopefully I'll be seeing more of you, Midoriya."

"Definitely! This was a lot of fun." Izuku nodded. "…But, um… Do you remember what Mina and I asked?"

"I know, I know. I'll keep a lid on it about you two, no worries." The blonde gave a thumbs-up as he spoke before walking off. The couple had requested the group keep quiet about their relationship with the other members of their class, so they could let everyone know at their own pace.

The trio walked through the station for a bit longer before Kirishima found his stop. He said goodbye to his friends, leaving the two of them alone.

"Well that was a fun day," Mina said as they wait at a stop together. She needed to ride the same train as Izuku for a bit before changing lines before his stop. "Sorry if my friends were a bit of a handful."

"Oh no, they were great!" Izuku insisted, holding up his hands. "They're… Energetic, though, yes. But, I'm really glad I decided to come!" Izuku couldn't possibly be upset about making new friends, even if they did make a habit of making fun of him.

"I am too. They really seemed to like you, so I'm sure we could do this again some time."

"That'd be nice." The freckled boy paused. "But, um… I had a question." Mina looked at him.

"Shoot."

"Um… This is going to sound silly, but…" Izuku cleared his throat. "Did it seem like Kirishima already knew about… Well, us?" His pink girlfriend stared at him for a few seconds before looking away, sighing.

"…He did." No point in hiding it, she figured. "See, I may have told him about my crush on you before our first date." She stopped for a moment. "Okay, it was more like he confronted me about it and _then_ I told him."

"Oh." Izuku couldn't imagine talking to anyone about Mina before he had asked her out. Heck, he felt nervous talking about her with other people now.

"Funny thing, actually… He was the one who suggested I ask you to help me study." She smiled sheepishly. "The plan was to slowly get close to you and ask you out when it seemed appropriate… But you kinda threw that out the window."

Izuku felt his face begin to heat up as he recalled his incredibly tactless attempt at asking Mina out.

"But… I'm glad you did." Mina smiled warmly at her red-faced boyfriend. "Otherwise, who knows what would have happened? For all we know, things would've gotten too awkward if we dragged them out."

It was a strange thought. It had only been a few days, but each of them was already having a difficult time imagining not being with the other.

It wasn't long before the train arrived. They continued to talk about their eventful day as they sat together before arriving at Mina's stop. Giving a quick goodbye hug to her boyfriend, the horned girl stepped off the train before it continued on its way.

* * *

The following day was fairly uneventful for both Izuku and Mina. They decided not to spend the whole day together like they had been doing, opting to each take a day to just relax at home. The last several days had been quite eventful, after all, and they wanted some down time.

Mina had attempted to get a little studying done on her own, reviewing the topics she had already gone over with Izuku. At some point, she decided to try learning some new material on her own, though she wasn't too confident in her ability to do so. Izuku had been her guiding light, and without him she was certain she'd just get lost and confused.

This proved to be a correct assumption. However, the pink student was surprised at how far she was able to get into a chapter before calling it quits. It was a struggle, but she was able to make sense of more than she had expected. On top of that, she hadn't stopped out of boredom or laziness like she used to (prior to finals, her "study time" consisted of a few minutes of reading followed by an hour or two of games or movies).

She couldn't help but smile at this. It was a sign that all this time learning and reviewing with Izuku wasn't a waste.

She was getting better. But she still had a way to go.

Izuku, meanwhile, mostly spent the day helping his mom around the house and starting his preparations for the camp. He found that there were still quite a few items he was missing that were needed for the trip, mainly due to the fact that his last attempt shopping for them had been cut short. He and Inko decided to pick the remaining items up together.

Unsurprisingly, Mina was a frequent subject of conversation for the two of them. Mrs. Midoriya wanted to know more about her son's girlfriend, and Izuku was more than happy to talk about her.

The following day, Izuku received an invitation to see a movie with Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka. Deciding it would be as good a time as any to tell his friends about Mina, he invited her to come along. Unfortunately, Mina was spending a good chunk of the day helping her mom run some errands, so he was on his own.

Great.

The All Might fanboy was in deep thought as he walked down the street towards the theatre. He had every intention of telling his friends about his relationship, but without Mina there he was feeling way less confident about the matter.

When should he bring it up? How should he phrase it? Should he wait for someone to ask about her? Iida at least knew they had spent some time together, even if he hadn't suspected they were on a date.

"Maybe I'm overthinking this," Izuku muttered to himself. He tried to picture what Mina would say if she were here. Most likely she'd agree with that statement, and tell him to just bring it up when the time felt right. He'd probably question what that meant, and she'd probably say something like, "You're smart, Izu, you'll figure it out".

She'd say this with one of her trademark smiles. The kind that made Izuku's heart flutter just seeing it. Knowing him, he'd probably get a little flustered by the compliment and smile. She would, of course, find this cute and say so, which would just make him even _more_ flustered, causing her to…

Izuku found himself blushing in real life as he realized he might have been taking this hypothetical Mina conversation a little too far. He put a hand over his mouth, trying to hide the smile that had crept its way onto his lips during those thoughts.

He really was hopeless when it came to romance.

Arriving at the theater a few minutes later, Izuku quickly spotted his friends standing around outside. Uraraka was the first to stop him, staring at him with an expression Izuku couldn't quite place for a half-second before cheerfully waving to him.

Ignoring the odd look, the Quirk inheritor joined his fellow heroes-in-training.

"Hey guys!" He greeted. "Sorry, were you guys waiting long?"

"Not really," Todoroki informed him, shaking his head. "We only arrived a few minutes ago."

"Good to see you, Deku," Uraraka greeted back with a smile. "You've been kinda MIA the last couple days; I was starting to get worried something happened!" She laughed.

"Ha… Yeah, uh, sorry about that guys. I've just been… Kinda busy." Izuku debated just dropping the news right away, like with what happened yesterday, but decided against it. Mainly due to his own nerves.

"Ah yes, I remember you told me you were helping Ashido study. I imagine that has been taking up a good deal of your time," Iida said thoughtfully. He smiled. "It is pleasing to see you are still committed to assisting a fellow student like! I hope this won't take too much time away from that."

"Oh no, Mina's actually busy today, so-

Izuku cut himself off as his brain caught up to his mouth. His eyes went wide as he realized what he had just done.

One: He had just confirmed that he and Mina had been spending multiple days together.

Two: He had just called Mina by her first name. Something he never did with anyone, even his close friends.

Todoroki seemed to catch this as well, raising an eyebrow. Iida mostly just looked confused. And Uraraka looked…

Her posture looked a bit more rigid than normal, and he noticed her fists were slightly clenched. There was a strange expression on her face; she had a distant, unfocused look in her eyes, like she was staring through Izuku instead of at him.

What exactly was going through her head?

"Midoriya, are you alright?" Iida, the concern in his voice clear, asked.

"Huh? Ah! Yeah, I'm f-fine!" Izuku's voice was louder than he intended it to be.

"Are you sure? You seem distressed," his much taller friend didn't intend to drop the subject.

"Distressed? Wh-What are you talking about, I…" He trailed off, sighing. Why was he so worked up about this? "…Okay, look, I just… I have something I want to tell you guys." As much as he wanted to wait, now was probably the best time to let them know. He took a deep breath as he let his courage build up. "It's a-about Min…Ashido and me, we-

"Guys, we're gonna miss the movie!" Uraraka suddenly interrupted him. In an instant, her bizarre expression and body language were replaced with her usual demeanor. "We better hurry up and get inside!" The brunette girl didn't even bother waiting for the others as she entered the theatre.

"Ah, she's right, it is almost time. Apologies, Midoriya, you'll have to tell us after." Iida followed his sort friend inside after saying this.

"…Is she acting strange to you?" Todoroki suddenly spoke up. Izuku looked at the quiet boy.

"Y-You noticed too?" The dual-color haired student nodded. "It's weird… She almost seems upset, but… At the same time, not."

"Hm. Well anyways, what was it you were about to say?" Izuku coughed.

"Uh… W-We should really get our tickets!" He suggested, avoiding the question. All the wind had been taking out of his sails, and he needed some time to build up the fortitude to talk about Mina again. Besides, he wanted to tell everyone at once.

Todoroki decided not to press the issue, and entered the theater with his friend.

* * *

'Let's see… If I were the spices, where would I be?"

Mina was currently wandering the aisles of a grocery store, on the lookout for spices and seasonings. She was currently with her mom and brother getting shopping done, but had split off from the two of them to go on her own adventure.

Before long, she had found the section she was looking for. Checking the list her mom had given her, Mina approached the shelves holding the various containers, picking out the ones that had been written down.

"Alright, chili powder… Chili powder, chili powder, chili… Aha!" She moved a finger down one of the shelves before finding her target. There were two different brands side by side, one priced a little higher than the other. "Shoot… Which one did she want?" The horned girl double checked her list to see if her mom had specified a brand. No such luck. "Alright… What's the difference here," she muttered to herself, grabbing both containers and looking them each over.

She was so distracted by comparing the chili powders that she didn't notice the person that had been standing behind her.

"Okay, so you're more expensive, but why? Hm… Maybe-

"For fuck's sake, would you just pick already?" Mina stiffened as a familiar voice growled at her from behind. "Just go with the cheap one, there's barely a goddamn difference between them." Reluctantly turned her head to see none other than Katsuki Bakugou standing behind her, looking more than a little impatient. He was holding a basket that had… Surprisingly high-quality food items, Mina noticed.

The explosive student seemed to just realize who he had been waiting behind. His eyes widened ever so slightly, then narrowed again, making him somehow look even more annoyed than before.

Bakugou didn't know this girl that much; hell, he couldn't even remember her name. He recalled recruiting her for help in the Sports Festival, but that was about the only noteworthy thing that she had ever done that came to mind.

At least, until what had happened a few days ago. Looking at this weird pink girl, Bakugou began to recall his run in with her on the last day of class. Apparently, she was Izuku's friend now or something, and had gotten on the blonde's case about how he was acting towards the freckled boy.

It pissed him off. Bakugou didn't really care much for any of Izuku's friends, but they at least knew to keep out of shit that didn't concern them. This girl? She was different.

Mina's eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't any happier to see Bakugou than he was to see her.

She hadn't learned the full story behind his relationship with Izuku, but she heard enough to know he was, among other things, a massive scumbag. This wasn't exactly a surprising revelation, of course; even before speaking with Izuku, she had questioned how a guy like him had gotten into U.A.'s hero course more than a few times.

But now, knowing this boy, this "hero-in-training" had tormented someone for being supposedly Quirkless made her blood boil. To Mina, one of the defining traits of a hero was standing up for those who could not stand for themselves, and Bakugou had done the exact opposite of that. Instead of inspiring hope, he had attempted to crush it.

The agitated girl felt her hands ball up into fists.

He was no hero. If anything, he had more in common with a villain.

"The hell you staring at, Racoon Eyes?" The hothead snapped, deciding to force his way past her to the chili powder. "Out of my way, damnit!" He pushed her aside with a little more force than necessary, grabbing the ingredient before turning to leave, not wanting to stay there any longer than he needed to.

"Hey." Despite her stern voice, he didn't stop walking. "Hey asshole, I'm talking to you!" He grit his tease at this, but didn't acknowledge it. A few seconds later he felt a hand on his shoulder before being forcefully turned around to see a glaring pink face.

Who the _fuck_ did this girl think she was?

"Don't fucking touch me!" Bakugou shouted, careful not to subconsciously generate explosions with his basket-holding hand. "What's your goddamn problem, huh?"

" _You_ , jackass!" A finger jabbed his chest. His eyes twitched.

"The fuck did I just-

"Just what the hell is your problem with Izuku, huh?" She was aware she was entering a minefield here, both figuratively and literally, but she needed to know. Bakugou didn't say anything for a few seconds, scowling at the black-and-yellow-eyed girl. Why the hell did she care about _that_?

"My problem?' He scoffed. "He exists, that's my fucking problem." Mina rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. Look, I know how you treated him before U.A., alright?" She crossed her arms. "Seriously, who the hell do you think you are acting like that to someone who didn't even have a Quirk? Because you knew he couldn't fight back, huh? Is that it?"

The more she talked, the more pissed off Bakugou got. Izuku had fought back, time and time again, despite being Quirkless. It was one of the reasons the explosion Quirk user detested him so much; he didn't know his goddamn place. And apparently, neither did this girl.

"And now that he has one and is here at U.A. with you, you _still_ treat him so… Horribly. Why? What the hell did he ever do to you?"

Bakugou recalled all those times his old friend had looked down on him. How that green-haired bastard would always try to help him with things when he didn't need nor want it. Like that time in the stream, for instance.

"Mind you damn business, extra, that's what he did," was all the boy said though. As far as he was concerned, this girl was a complete stranger, and had no right asking about this kind of stuff. Mina put a hand on her hip.

"Um, well, as Izuku's _girlfriend_ , I'd say that it's _kinda_ my business."

Silence followed this statement. All the anger had left Bakugou's face, being replaced with genuine shock and surprise. Mina couldn't help but smirk at the reaction she'd caused; for once, he seemed to be at a loss for words.

It only lasted seconds, of course. Mouth twisting into a scowl, his eyes flashed with newly kindled rage as he tried to comprehend what he just heard. He somehow looked even worse than before.

"Aw, what's wrong? Mad Izu's getting some before you?" Obviously their relationship was nowhere close to that level, and even joking about it nearly made Mina blush, but she couldn't resist trying to anger the jerk in front of her even more.

Sparks crackled from Bakugou's hand.

"…Fuck you."

This was all the short-tempered boy said before turning around and storming off.

"Hey, you never answered…. UGH! Fine! Fuck you too!" Mina called out as he left, holding a middle finger out to him for emphasis. Whipping around, she stomped back to the spices, grabbing the more expensive bottle of chili powder and slamming it into her basket. Despite her snark towards the end of that "conversation", the pink girl was positively fuming.

More than ever before, she wondered just how someone like Bakugou could have gotten into a place like U.A. How _anyone_ could look at him and think that he could actually be a hero.

"Not my business? Like hell," she grumbled as she looked over her list. She had avoided asking Izuku about Bakugou, not wanting to stir up any bad memories, but she was starting to feel it was the only way she was going to find out just what happened between them. Bakugou was a bully, yes, but there was clearly a bit more to it than that. She had dealt with plenty of bullies, and they rarely if ever harbored that much animosity for someone.

She had everything her mom wanted her to grab, but she decided to take a lap or two around the store before returning so she could cool her head.

* * *

What was wrong with her?

Why did she feel this way?

Where was this coming from?

Dozens of questions had been flying through Uraraka's head as she tried to focus on the movie playing in front of her. She glanced to her right for what felt like the hundredth time, looking at Izuku for a half-second before returning her attention to the screen. He was in the furthest seat from the zero-gravity girl, with Iida and Todoroki sitting between the two of them.

Uraraka wanted as much space between her and Izuku as possible, and had intentionally picked this seat because it was the furthest from him. She didn't know _why_ she wanted to avoid him, only that she did.

She had found herself thinking about him from time to time over the past few days. Ever since the day she and her friends had gone to the beach, she couldn't keep him out of her head for long.

Him and Mina.

Thinking about them caused a surge of emotion to well up inside her. She gripped the arms of her chair, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried forcing the ugly thoughts making their way into her head to leave.

The brunette was no idiot; she was pretty sure she knew what was going on between the two of them. And for some reason… It upset her.

She had no idea _why_ it upset her, nor did she like the fact that it did. Izuku and Mina were her friends, and she should be happy for them if they were dating. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake these negative thoughts for long. Anger, stress, sadness, resentment, and other things she couldn't explain all thrashed around inside her head alongside more positive feelings whenever she thought about them together.

It was why she had cut Izuku off before he could tell everyone about it. She wasn't sure how she would react to actually hearing the news from the man himself. It sounded silly, but it was what made her do it.

Taking another look at him, she found that the curly-haired boy was staring back at her, clear concern on his face. Gasping lightly, she snapped her head back towards the screen.

She didn't look back at him the rest of the film.

* * *

"…It was definitely enjoyable, but I think I still preferred the first one," Iida said, finishing his critique of the film as he and his three companions exited the building.

"Same," Todoroki agreed, nodding his head. "Hopefully the next one will be better."

"Indeed." The tallest member of the group turned to Izuku. "Anyways, Midoriya, I believe there was something you wanted to tell us earlier, yes?" The shorter boy froze mid-step for a moment.

"Huh? Oh, r-right…" He swallowed. He had been expecting this to come up as soon as they finished the film, but it still caught him slightly off guard. Still, there was no reason to delay any longer. "Alright… So, I w-wanted to tell you guys that I'm da-

"Oh hey! What was your guys' favorite part? Mine was the-

"Uraraka, I believe we should let Midoriya finish before continuing to talk about that." Iida interrupted his female friend's interrupting, nodding at Izuku to continue. The green-haired student looked over at Uraraka.

She had tried cutting him off again. Why?

The brunette, realizing she wasn't going to stop this, decided to brace herself.

"…A-Anyways, um… M-Me and Ashido… We're… We're um…" Izuku couldn't stop his blush. "…Dating."

As expected, everyone was quiet for a beat. Todoroki was the first to speak.

"Oh." He didn't sound any different than usual. "Is that all?" The son of Endeavor's non-reaction shouldn't have really come as a surprise to Izuku.

"Hm…" Iida seemed to be in deep thought. "Well, it is certainly unexpected, but nonetheless I am happy to hear you have found someone, Midoriya." A sheen covered his glasses as a more serious look appeared on his face. "However, I hope this relationship will not negatively affect your performance in class."

"No, no! Of course not!" Izuku insisted, somewhat intimidated by the bespectacled boy's intensity.

"That's… That's great news, Deku!" Uraraka forced herself to smile as she put on a cheerful voice. "I-Oh, hang on." She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "Hello?" She turned away from the group, her façade fading. "I'm out with some friends, why?" She paused. "Huh? Really? Are you sure it can't wait?" Another pause. "No, no, it's fine… I'll be home in a bit." Sighing, she hung up, placing the phone back in her pocket. "Sorry, guys," she said, turning around. "Something came up and my family needs me home."

"Is everything alright?" Izuku asked, clearly worried about whatever had happened. Uraraka smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing bad, don't worry. But they need me home as soon as possible, so… I'll catch you guys later!" She waved goodbye before walking off at a strangely fast pace. "Congrats again, Deku! Really!"

As she left her friends behind, the girl felt a single tear fall from her eye.

Nobody had called her, of course. She just needed to get away before she let her emotions get the better of her.

She hated this feeling. Why couldn't she just be happy for them? What was wrong with her? She needed to avoid Izuku until she could figure out what the problem was.

" _Do you… Like him?"_

Aoyama's words during the final exam appeared in Uraraka's head, stopping her in her tracks.

"…No, that couldn't be it," she told herself before she kept walking.

Izuku was her friend. Possibly her best friend. But that was all he was.

And clearly that's all he ever would be.

* * *

And that's the end! Sorry to end on a bit of a downer like that, but don't worry, things will get better… Probably. Maybe. We'll find out soon enough!


	9. Meet the Ashidos

Hope your holidays were good. Now let's get right to it!

* * *

The smell of breakfast cooking filled Mina's nostrils as she shuffled her slipper-clad feet into the kitchen.

"…Mornin'" She mumbled in a groggy voice to whoever was there, her attention focused solely on the coffee maker as she made a beeline straight for it.

"Well good morning, sunshine," Mrs. Ashido's voice came from the direction of the stove. "Glad you could finally join us!" Mina half-heartedly held up an index finger towards her mother, not wanting to talk about the fact that it was 10:30 just yet.

"Please. Coffee first," was all she said, yawning again. Her mother obliged; everyone in the Ashido family knew better than to mess with Mina too much before she had her coffee.

Once the dark liquid had finished brewing, the half-asleep pink girl set about making it suited to her tastes. This involved filling about a quarter of the mug with milk, followed by what some might describe as an uncomfortable amount of sugar; one could argue she wasn't really drinking coffee anymore. But the caffeine was there, which is all that mattered to her.

A few minutes later and her usual perkiness was already returning.

"Well you're smiling, so I'm going to take that as a sign that you're good now." Mina grabbed a plate and some utensils for herself as her mom spoke, setting them at the table. Two more spots had been set: One for her mother, and one for the small boy currently sitting next to her.

He looked no older than 12 years old, and was currently tapping away at some handheld game. He had short, somewhat unkempt and curly brown hair that a pair horns poked out of. They were substantially larger than Mina's, and jutted out slightly back and away from his head before curling down, then forward. They essentially looked like a ram's horns. His skin was an ordinary color, much like Mina's mother, though his eyes were the same as both her and her daughter's.

This was Makoto Ashido, Mina's little brother.

The younger boy hadn't said anything to his sister since she entered the kitchen, seeming to be more focused on his game.

"Sorry I'm up so late," Mina apologized to her mom. "Had trouble falling asleep last night."

"Yeah, 'cause she was too busy talking to her _boyfriend_." Makoto suddenly spoke, a nasally tone in his voice as he said "boyfriend".

"Makoto, I swear…" His older sister glared at him. Ever since he found out about her relationship, the big-horned boy did what any self-respecting younger brother would do: Tease and mock his big sister relentlessly about it. Mina had expected this, though that didn't stop it from annoying her.

"God, she went on and on." Ignoring the agitated girl next to him, Makoto fake-gagged. "She was all like…" he locked his hands together and raised them next to his cheek, fluttering his eyes. "' _Oh, Izuku, you're so cute and smart and strong! How can someone like me be dating someone sooooooooooooo wonderful!_ " He talked in a high-pitched, mocking voice as he spoke like Mina before puckering his lips and making extremely exaggerated kissing sounds.

"Quit eavesdropping on my phone calls, you twerp!" Mina snapped, fire in her eyes as she slapped the back of her brother's head, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Mooooom!" He whined. "Mina hit me!"

"Mina, don't hit your brother. Makoto, stop antagonizing your sister." Mrs. Ashido didn't even look up from her cooking as she spoke. Her response sounded almost automatic, as if she had said those words many, many times before.

"Yes, mom," her children said in unison, knowing what would happen if they kept at it. Of course, that didn't stop Makoto from sticking his tongue out at his sister.

"Good! Now maybe you two can give me a hand, hm?" Taking that as an order, not a request, the two siblings quickly got up from the table and began assisting their parent. Before long, they were all sitting down at the table again, enjoying a nice breakfast.

"We're not waiting for dad?" Mina noted as her mom and brother began eating. "I thought he got home last night."

"He did, but he got back much later than expected. He's still asleep," Mrs. Ashido explained.

"Ah, gotcha." Taking a bite of her food, Mina was quiet for a second. "Um, actually, considering he's home now, I was wondering…"

"Of course Izuku can come over tonight!" Mina's mother exclaimed, beaming. Mina blushed lightly, ignoring the snickering next to her. "Just let us know what time we should expect him!"

"…Cool," Mina muttered, giving a small smile. She had been pestered nonstop about Izuku by her mother, who was eager to meet the boy. They ultimately settled on waiting until Mr. Ashido returned home from his business trip, as Mina wanted to introduce her boyfriend to everyone at once.

Her father had been told about his daughter's relationship over the phone. Much like Mrs. Ashido, he was happy to hear the news and eager to meet Izuku as soon as possible. Considering she only had a couple more days until leaving for the school trip, Mina figured inviting him the day after her dad got home was the best course of action. They had talked about it last night, and while Izuku was clearly nervous about meeting Mina's parents – Particularly her dad, despite Mina's insistence he wasn't scary – he was clearly on board for coming over.

"Great, now I get to hear your lovey-dovey crap in person," Makoto complained.

"Makoto." He winced at the sternness in his mom's voice. "What did I say?"

"Sorry."

"Besides, I'm sure you're excited to meet Izuku. I remember how excited you got watching him during the festival." Mrs. Ashido gave a small smirk as she spoke.

"…Reeeaaallllyyyy?" Mina turned to her brother, a playful grin on her face. "Is that so?" The horned boy crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks slightly, trying to hide a blush.

"I mean… He was kinda cool, I guess." His sister's smile widened

"Aw, that's so sweet! I'll have to tell Izuku he's got a fan!" She threw an arm around him. "In fact, if you ask nicely I'm sure you can get his autograph."

"Stooop!" The smaller boy shoved her off him before turning away. A second later, he turned around to face his sister again, an almost hopeful look on his face. "…But you really think so?"

"I know so!" Makoto's eyes sparkled for a moment a smile appeared on his face.

'Cool!"

Like most kids his age, the youngest Ashido had a fascination with heroes, and was aspiring to become one. He loved watching the U.A. Sports Festival every year and seeing the country's best up-and-coming duke it out, and this year was no different. Like many viewers, he had been particularly drawn to Izuku's unorthodox strategies, and enamored by his fight with Shoto Todoroki. The tenacious green-haired student had been Makoto's favorite during the tournament.

Well, technically his second favorite, but he didn't like to count his first choice.

Mina smiled as her brother dropped his façade. As much as he could tick her off, he was still her brother, and she loved him as much she did the rest of her family.

Even if she wanted to kill him most days.

After finishing breakfast, Mina proceeded to finish her usual morning activities before getting ready to head to the library to meet Izuku once again. The plan for today was to study for a few hours, then head back to Mina's for the evening for dinner.

"I'll let you guys know when we're heading over, k?" Mina called out as she put on her shoes. Getting confirmation from her parents that they heard, she left the house.

* * *

It was around 1 o'clock when Mina and Izuku met up at the library. Greeting one another, they quickly made their way to the same study spot they had used the last couple times. Izuku set down his bag and began unpacking notes.

"So, what did you want to cover tod-Ah!" He had turned to face her before giving out a surprised yelp as Mina attacked him with a surprise hug. The freckled boy was nearly knocked off balance by the sudden impact.

"Missed you," she whispered in his ear before giving his cheek a quick smooch. She could feel the heat coming off his face.

"I-It was only a day." The pink girl couldn't help but noticed he had stammered just a little bit less than normal. Perhaps he was slowly getting used to her ambush hugs.

"Yeah, so? Still missed you."

Mina knew spending every possible moment with Izuku wasn't healthy for their relationship in the least bit, but that didn't stop a part of her from wanting it. She was just as new to this sort of thing as Izuku was, after all; she just expressed her inexperience differently than he did.

To be honest, she was glad he had spoken up about how fast they had been moving. Mina had been, for lack of a better word, intoxicated by her affection for the boy. She wasn't used to the emotions she experienced whenever she was with him which, due to her extreme and passionate nature, meant said emotions got a little out of control; her inability to quell her temptations had been a direct result of her inexperience with romance.

Mina adored her Izuku, and she wanted to show that as much as she could. She just wanted to spend hours holding him, cuddling with him, kissing him… But not if it made him uncomfortable. She understood that her boyfriend couldn't handle that sort of thing, that he needed time to feel ready to get more intimate. Unfortunately, patience was not one of Mina's strong suits.

But for him, she could learn to wait. Because he was worth it.

"Um… Mina? W-We should probably g-get started."

Of course, she was only human; she could only go so long without doing _something_ to show her affection.

Finally getting released from the vice-like grip of his girlfriend's embrace, Izuku smiled awkwardly.

"B-But, I… I missed you too." He tried and failed to not blush as he said this.

The shy boy had been steadily getting more comfortable being in a relationship, but he still had a long way to go. He was, to a degree, frustrated with his inability to say anything remotely romantic without completely tripping over his words. Mina was always showing how she felt about him, and he wanted to do the same with her. He wanted to show her just how much he cared about her, but his ineptitude at conveying his feelings was immense.

While he was grateful they were slowing things down a bit, but he didn't want things to be like this forever. He wanted to be able to return her gestures in public. He wanted talk to her the way she could talk to him. He wanted to be able to kiss her; not just on the cheek, but an actual kiss.

God, he _really_ wanted that.

But before he could worry about that sort of stuff, he needed to make sure he survived tonight.

Last night, Izuku had agreed to meet Mina's family today. He was reluctant, of course, but he figured it was only fair since Mina had met his mom. Just before meeting up today, he had been informed things were all clear, and that they would be going back to his girlfriend's house after studying.

He had heard a lot about the Ashidos from Mina, who insisted they would love him, but that didn't stop him from worrying. He got the mental image of a pair of huge, shadowy horned figures towering over him, ready to wipe him off the face of the planet if he so much as looked at their daughter in the wrong way.

He hated his overactive imagination sometimes.

"Hello?" He felt a fist knocking on his head. "Anyone there?"

Great. He had zoned out again.

"Sorry, what?" He quickly shook his head, regaining his focus.

"I said we should work on English today." The two of them had more or less covered the entirety of the math course last semester, and were ready to move on to a new topic. Mina decided on her second least favorite subject.

"Alright, English it is." Izuku nodded, setting aside his English materials as they both sat down.

* * *

The curly-haired couple stood in front of the Ashido family's front door. Izuku's hand was tightly gripping Mina's, more out of nervousness than affection at this point. His whole body had tensed up as his girlfriend's house came into view, and he was currently staring at the front door like it was the entrance to a lion's den.

After leaving the library, Izuku had considered stopping home and changing into a nicer outfit, afraid showing up in casual clothes would leave a bad first impression. However, Mina insisted dressing up for this would just be awkward. "Just be yourself", she had told him.

Unlike the Midoriyas, the Ashidos owned their own house. It was a fairly standard sized house, two stories tall and with a garage. Given that there were four people in Mina's family, it made sense they didn't have an apartment to Izuku.

"Ready?" Mina looked at her boyfriend, smiling. She was nervous about this too, of course, but she was doing a much better job of hiding it.

"I…I th-think so." He nodded. "A-As much as I can b-be." He felt her hand gently squeeze his.

"It'll be fine. Just be yourself, remember?" There was a warm, encouraging tone in her voice. It helped ease the freckled boy's nerves just a little bit. Mina opened the door, entering the house. Taking a deep breath, Izuku followed her in.

The yellow-and-black eyed girl led her boyfriend from the entryway into the kitchen after they took off their shoes. Izuku stopped dead in his tracks as soon as they entered the room.

Standing at the counter slicing vegetables was a tall, burly looking man. He had short black hair with a pair of horns similar to Mina's sticking out the top. Unlike her, though, his skin tone was completely natural, and his eyes had white sclera with hazel irises. Izuku had been already been told that Mina was the only one with abnormal pigmentation in her family, but it was still a little surprising to see. Hearing someone enter, the man turned his attention to the two teens. Mina practically skipped forward as he did, her arms outstretched.

"Daddy!" She cried happily. Mr. Ashido seemed to have a similar reaction, putting down his knife and holding on his arms. Mina nearly jumped at the large man, the two of them embracing each other.

"There's my little girl!" He laughed as he picked Mina up off the floor slightly. Izuku recalled Mina mentioning her dad being away on a business trip for the last week or so. He had gotten home late last night, but she had left the house today before he had woken up, so this was her first time seeing him since then.

Despite his apprehension, the freckled boy couldn't help but smile at the scene. The two family members exchanged a few words before Mina's dad turned his attention to the third person in the room. Izuku's smile immediately dropped.

"And who do we have here?" The man set his daughter down. "Mina, who's this strange boy that's followed you home?" Despite his words, there was a huge grin on his face. Mina rolled her eyes; her dad obviously knew who this was. "Well come on in!" He beckoned for Izuku to enter the kitchen. "I don't bite. Much."

"I-It's a pleasure t-to m-meet you, s-sir!" Izuku bowed enthusiastically, looking like a miniature Iida for a moment. "I-I'm honored to b-be welcome in your home!" Mina saw her dad's grin grow. She knew what was coming.

"Dad, no-

"Well hi, 'Honored To Be Welcome In Your Home', I'm Daiki Ashido!"

"Uuuuuuugh!"

Izuku stood up, a look of utter confusion on his face at what he just heard. "Huh? N-No, sir, that's not my-Aaaaah!" He cried out as a large hand clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hahaha! Do I look like a 'sir' to you? No need to be so formal, Izuku Midoriya." Daiki held out his other hand towards his daughter's boyfriend, his grin never leaving his face. Izuku hesitated, wondering if this was some sort of test. Maybe Mina's father was trying to trick him into acting too casual before reprimanding him for not respecting his elder or something? Or was he overthinking things and just needed to accept that maybe this man wasn't out to get him?

"…Mina, is he okay?" The pink girl's father asked, raising an eyebrow. The boy standing in front of him had suddenly begun to ramble to himself.

"Yes." Mina had her face buried in her hands, more than a little embarrassed by the exchange happening before her. She had expected some difficulties, but not this soon. "He just does that sometimes." Mr. Ashido snapped his fingers a couple times in Izuku's face, who leapt back as if he had been shaken from a trance.

"O-Oh, sorry, I…" Looking quite flustered, Izuku stood up straight, inhaling and exhaling deeply before looking at Daiki. "A-As I was saying, it's, um, it's nice to meet you, si- I mean, Mr. Ashido," he managed to speak fairly normally this time, taking the large hand in front of him and shaking it. He was caught off guard as Mina's father shook with far more vigor than expected.

"Much better!" Daiki patted the boy's shoulder a few times. "Mina wasn't kidding about you!" He laughed. Izuku looked over at his girlfriend quizzically, who just smiled as she shrugged.

"Honey, what's going on in- Oh!" A fourth voice joined the conversation as Mina's mother entered the kitchen. "Well well well, if it isn't my new son-in-law!"

"Mom!" Mina exclaimed, her face turning completely magenta. Izuku went bug-eyed, his face also changing color. Mr. Ashido backed off as his wife walked over to the tomato boy.

"Oh I'm just teasing, Mina." She looked down at the green-haired boy, who offered a handshake as his face began to cool down.

"H-Hello, Mrs. Ashido. I-I'm Izuku Midoriya."

"Oh, forget that handshake stuff. Come here!" Izuku made an odd high-pitched noise as he was pulled into a tight embrace. "It's so nice to finally meet you! Mina's been talking about you all week!"

"O-Oh." Her captive was as stiff as a board, looking like steam was about to come out of his ears.

"Mom, please stop." Mina insisted. Izuku had to admit, something about seeing her acting flustered and embarrassed was entertaining. Evidently, she had nothing on her parents.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot she said you were shy." Letting him go, Mrs. Ashido backed up. "Call me Aya, by the way." Looking over at the doorway she came out of, she called out, "Makoto! Come say hi, will you?"

Makoto. Mina had mentioned her younger brother a few times to Izuku, mostly complaining about how much he annoyed her.

The 12-year-old boy slowly poked his head out from behind the wall, staring intently at the stranger in his house. Reluctantly, he fully emerged from the other room, continuing to gaze at Izuku.

"H-Hi there!" The One for All inheritor gave a small smile, waving to the younger boy. "Y-You must be Mina's brother! I'm Izuku Midoriya." He felt a bit more comfortable talking to a child, especially one that seemed so nervous. "Um, Mina's told me a lot about you, and it's nice to-

"I thought you'd be taller." Makoto's voice almost sounded disappointed as he crossed his arms, frowning. Izuku's smile dropped; that was not at all the reaction he had expected.

"Oh be nice, pipsqueak," Mina said, turning to Izuku. "Don't let him fool you; he's actually huge fan of yours."

"Am not!" The youngest Ashido quickly turned his head away.

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are-

"Okay, that's enough you two." Mr. Ashido spoke up. "Your mother and I need to finish getting dinner ready. Mina, why not give Izuku here the grand tour? We'll come get you when the food's ready."

"Sounds good. Come on, Izu." She was eager to get the flustered boy away from her zany family for a bit; he clearly was getting overwhelmed by their antics. Izuku nodded, letting her lead the way as they left the kitchen.

"He's a sweetie," Aya said to her husband after they left the room. She noticed Makoto start after the couple. "And where do you think you're going?" Her voice suddenly grew stern. Her son stopped in his tracks, sheepishly looking at her. "You're staying here and helping, Makoto." The ram-horned boy groaned.

"Do I have to?" He complained.

"Makoto." Daiki's voice sounded equally firm. "Listen to your mother." The two adults weren't blind; they could tell their daughter's boyfriend was somewhat awkward, and they wanted to let him and Mina get some time alone to settle in. They'd have plenty of time to get to know the boy over dinner, after all.

"Fiiiiiine." Makoto slouched, dragging his feet into the kitchen.

"And try to behave yourself tonight, please. We want Izuku to feel welcome," His mother added.

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"Sorry about that." Mina sighed, shaking her head as she and Izuku got upstairs. "They're a handful, I know."

"It's… It's fine." Izuku took a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. He hated being the center of attention. However, he found himself smiling. "They're very… You." Given his first impression of Mina's parents, he could understand why she was the way she was. They both had that same positive energy that he liked so much about her, even if it could be a bit too much sometimes. "And they seemed to like me." All his fears from before were quickly fading from his mind. Looking back, it seemed ridiculous that someone like Mina would have scary parents.

"Told you they would dude." She smiled back at him, nudging him with her elbow. "Anyways, you've seen the downstairs." She started pointing out doors on the second floor. "Parents' room, bathroom, playroom, Makoto's room…" Izuku noticed the young Ashido sibling's door was covered in various warnings signs, such as a stop sign, a biohazard symbol, a "keep out" sticker, and so on. "And… Mine."

She stopped in front of a door decorated with all sorts of science fiction memorabilia, with a neon pink sign that said "Mina's room" towards the top of the door. It definitely fit her personality.

"Come on, I'll show you around," she said, opening the door. Realizing what was going on, Izuku suddenly locked up.

He was being invited into his girlfriend's room. With her. Alone.

Why didn't he see this coming?

"You coming, dude?" Mina turned around once she entered the room, seeing Izuku still standing there. She tilted her head as she observed his face. "You alright?"

"Th-This is… This is your room." Memories of what nearly transpired in Izuku's own room the other day were flooding back to him.

"Uh… Yeah, I just said that. Now come on, I got all sorts of cool stuff for you to see."

Mina's bedroom. Izuku couldn't bring himself to step inside; to him, someone's room was sort of a sacred place. This was his girlfriend's private space, her own kingdom. He just wasn't sure it was right for him to walk in.

Besides… It was his girlfriend's bedroom! What if he looked in the wrong drawer and saw something he shouldn't see?

As the freckled boy's cheeks started burning up, Mina understood why he was acting so funny.

"Izu, relax." She stepped out into the hallway, grabbing his hand. "Look, I'm not gonna try anything this time, ok?" He looked at her, blush still going strong. "Look, you trust me, right?"

"O-Of course!"

"Then you know I mean it when I say I won't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable." She gestured back towards the door with her head. "Now come on."

Still holding his hand, she slowly backed up through the doorway. He took a few steps forward, now standing in the doorway itself. After a few more seconds of hesitation, he mustered up enough courage to cross the threshold, entering Mina's room.

For a split second he thought he might suddenly burst into flames. When this didn't happen, he took a look around.

In a lot of ways, it was very similar to his room. The walls were covered in posters, there were figures and comics littering the room (Literally; her room was, unsurprisingly, kind of a mess). Unlike Izuku, though, Mina seemed to collect science fiction memorabilia as opposed to All Might stuff. Most of the posters seemed to be for old movies, many looking like they were from well before the dawn of Quirks. He noticed clothing poking out her dresser, indicating it wasn't organized super well. Her bed and curtains had a leopard print pattern that was colored similarly to her hero costume. Izuku also noticed a lampshade with the same design.

It was very much Mina Ashido's room.

"Sorry about the mess, it's not normally like this." The room's owner paused, grinning. "It's usually even worse!" She laughed at her self-deprecatory joke. Her boyfriend managed a small laugh as well, despite still trying to get over the fact that he was in her room.

"So many different posters," he remarked in wonder. He noticed a strange-looking stuffed animal sitting on the bed. "What's that?"

"Hm? Oh, that's Ami. Ami the Alien!" She picked up the odd-looking black toy, holding it up to him. "I've had her since I was, like, 10." Getting a closer look, Izuku noticed "Ami" was actually quite monstrous.

"It… Looks kinda scary," he admitted.

"She should! She's only the coolest movie monster _ever_!" She pointed towards a particular poster on the wall, a rather simple one for a movie called "Alien". He looked back at the doll, then at the poster again.

"Wait, so Alien Queen… Is that where you got the name from?" He pointed at Ami.

"Oh no, Ami's just a drone. The queen looks even _more_ badass! She's all like…" Mina set her toy down and held up her hands like they were claws, crouching down slightly. She started making animal-like screeches and hisses, occasionally darting her tongue in and out of her mouth. Izuku watched with both amazement and confusion at the bizarre display.

Suddenly, he found himself laughing. Hard. Something about girlfriend's child-like enactment of what he had to assume was the "Alien" monster tickled his funny bone in just the right way.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Mina stopped her impression, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at Izuku. He didn't stop, his hands now on his stomach. Unable to keep up her faux anger for long, Mina soon joined in the laughter; she knew full well how silly she just looked.

"Ahaha… Ha… Hoo…" Wiping a tear from her eye, Mina took a second to catch her breath after they calmed down. "But seriously, they're awesome movies. We totally need to watch them some time."

"Um… Are they scary?" Seeing the design of the creature was making Izuku hesitant.

"Nah, not really." They weren't scary to Mina, anyway. Not anymore.

Besides, the image of a scared Izuku cuddling up to her for safety was something she needed to make a reality.

The two of them stood there for a moment, neither one really sure where to take the conversation next. Izuku rubbed his arm, at more of the posters on the wall to distract him. Mina coughed a couple times.

"Um… Oh! I never asked, how did things go with the others yesterday?" She managed to break the awkward silence with a question.

"Hm? Oh, that." Izuku hesitated to answer, thinking back on the events from yesterday. "It, um, it went okay… For that most part."

He vividly recalled Uraraka's bizarre behavior at the theatre. Her odd expressions, her weird interruptions, those looks she kept giving him during the movie, and her sudden departure. He had tried to contact his female friend a few times that day, wanting to figure out what was bothering her. However, he hadn't been able to get a hold of her, not did she ever call him back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mina asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Well… Iida and Todorki seemed fine with the news, but Uraraka… Something was up." He frowned. "She seemed… I don't know, upset. But at the same time, she didn't. I guess? It was weird."

The Quirk inheritor attempted to explain exactly what had happened, and how he had tried to contact her to talk about it.

"Huh… Weird." The two of them had sat down on the edge of her bed partway through the conversation. The acid girl stroked her chin, trying to think what might be bothering her normally cheerful friend. One possibility crossed her mind, but she didn't want to bring it up right now. Not until she had a better idea of the situation.

"I'm not sure what to do," Izuku said with a sigh. "I mean, maybe you could try to talk with her? I'm not sure if she's upset with me or something."

"I'd hope not. But… Yeah, I can try to talk to her. Maybe later tonight, after you go home? I think we got enough to worry about for now." As concerned as Mina was for Uraraka, she was admittedly more focused on getting through this dinner. That said, she didn't want to neglect her friend either, so she set a reminder on her phone to try calling her classmate in a few hours.

She just hoped this wasn't what she thought it was.

"Alright." He was looking straight ahead, held tilted down as he rested his hands on his leg. It was clear by both the tone of his voice and the expression on his face that he was really concerned about Uraraka. It made sense to Mina; she was one of his first friends at U.A., and considering his past probably one of his first friends in years.

Besides, even if they weren't friends, she was sure he'd be just as worried. He'd want to help just as much.

Just like he had done for Mina that day in the classroom.

Mina gently rested a hand on her distraught boyfriend's shoulder, scooching closer to him.

"Hey, we'll figure it out, okay?" She spoke in a soft voice. "It'll be alright." She would have say she was sure it was nothing, or something like that, but that would be a lie. And she couldn't bring herself to lie to Izuku.

Honesty and compassion. These were the two qualities Mina admired most in her boyfriend.

"I know, I know." Izuku sighed again. "S-Sorry, I kind of brought down the mood, didn't I?"

"You don't need to apologize for being a good friend, silly." Mina chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "That 'couldn't-care-more' attitude is why I like you so much, remember?" She could see a little color appear in Izuku's cheeks, and his mouth form a small smile. She slid her hand from his shoulder down his arm to his hand, wrapping her fingers around it. He turned his so the palm was facing up, and grabbed hers as well.

Slowly, the lilac-cheeked girl leaned against Izuku, resting her head on his shoulder. The green-haired boy felt his heartrate increase, though he leaned his head on hers. All his anxiety about being in Mina's bedroom was quickly giving way to the warm fuzziness he always felt when they sat like this.

His heart fluttered when he felt Mina's lips on his cheek. Hers did the same when he returned the favor.

They pulled away from each other slightly, looking at one another. Each had warm cheeks and warmer smiles as they gazed into each other's eyes. Turning her body so it was facing Izuku's slightly more, Mina grabbed his other hand with hers. As she pulled both of his off his legs towards her, he moved to face her as well.

As he looked down at her, Izuku started to get a strange sensation. It was different from the usual fuzzy feelings he got; this was throughout his whole body. It was a weird, tingly feeling, almost electric.

He realized he was leaning in towards Mina.

She was doing the same.

Warning sirens started going off in his head. He nearly pulled away, but stopped himself as he recalled his thoughts at the library earlier.

…No. He wanted this.

He was ready.

He leaned in further, his eyes slowly shutting.

"Izu…"

"Mina…"

His lips parted slightly. He felt his nose brush against hers, signifying just how close they were. He could feel the warmth from her breath. Just a little closer, and…

A loud pounding at the door made them both stop.

"Hey, food's ready! Stop sucking face and come eat!" Makoto's voice called out from the other side.

The two teens' eyes shot open, widening as their owners saw how close they were to each other. They quickly pulled away, turning away from one another.

"Uh… Er… I…" Izuku stumbled over syllables. In an instant, that electric sensation had vanished.

"I'm g-gonna k-kill him!" Mina stammered, flustered by the situation, yet angry her brother had killed the moment.

So close, yet so far.

"L-Let's go eat." She struggled to get up. "…I-In a minute or two."

"Hah… Hnn…" Izuku simply nodded, even though Mina wasn't looking at him. He hadn't felt this embarrassed since he asked her out.

But on top of that, he swore he felt… Disappointed by the interruption.

After taking a moment to collect themselves, the pair left the room.

* * *

Izuku was grateful to whatever higher power that Mina's parents had not asked what he and their daughter had been doing.

The meal started off a bit awkward, for multiple reasons, but eventually Izuku found himself settling in with the Ashidos. Now that introductions were done, he found himself more comfortable talking to Mr. and Mrs. Ashido. Their seating was arranged so Mina and Izuku sat on one side, Makoto on the other, and the parents on both ends.

Naturally, a lot of the conversation was centered around the family's guest. Mr. and Mrs. Ashido wanted to know all about him, and though he was slightly uncomfortable with all the attention, he was able to oblige them. Fortunately, they were able to tell when it was getting to be too much, and would change the subject for a bit. Much like Mina, they seemed to have good people sense.

Izuku also got to know the family as well. Unsurprisingly, the first thing he wanted to know about was their Quirks.

Aya's Quirk was called Corrosive Skin. As the name suggested, she had the ability to cause a reaction in her epidermis that caused whatever touched it to corrode. She was able to control what parts of her skin did it, and the potency of the corrosion. She demonstrated with a paper plate; Izuku noted that her skin changed a reddish color when the Quirk was active.

Her eyes, as it turned out, had nothing to do with her Quirk. They were the result of an eye-related Quirk that had run in her family for a few generations; not everyone received the Quirk, but everyone did receive the eye color that resulted from it.

Daiki's Quirk was Slime Production. His hands and feet contained glands that could secrete a gooey, sticky substance. He was able to control the viscosity and stickiness to some degree as well. His horns had a similar story to Aya's eyes.

Thinking about it, Izuku could easily see how those Quirks could combine to produce Mina's.

Makoto was a bit different. His Quirk, Horns, was what happened when the horns from his dad's side of the family fully manifested. In addition to the horns themselves, his skull and neck were structured in such a way to be able to absorb the bulk of the shock from ramming things.

"So when we say he's hard-headed, we really mean it," Mina joked.

"Yeah, well you're pink," he shot back, sticking his tongue out.

"Lucky for me, _some_ people happen to like pink!" She winked at Izuku as she said this. He tried to hide his face in response. Makoto looked between the two of them.

"…You're paying him to do this, aren't you?"

"Wha-Excuse me!?" Mina glared. The horned devil smirked at the reaction before crying out in pain as his father flicked him on the head. "Hey!"

"What did we talk about?" The young boy looked down at his plate.

"…Sorry," he mumbled, Mina rolling her eyes at his "apology".

"Moving on… I'm curious about your Quirk, dear," Aya looked at Izuku. "We all saw you at the Sports Festival – You did wonderful, by the way – But I must say that Quirk of yours is… Odd."

"Yes, it's not often you see a Quirk hurt its user like that," Daiki agreed.

"Um, well, heh…" Izuku scrambled to think of an excuse as the focus turned to him. "Well, see, uh… I didn't actually get my Quirk until a few months ago, actually." He decided to go with the same story he told Mina, more or less. "So I can't really control it that well. I'm not exactly sure why it does what it does, but…"

"Well, promise me you won't do what you did fighting that Todoroki boy again," The woman said with a somewhat stern voice. "I was worried sick about you!" The One for All inheritor laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, I've already gotten that talk…" He wanted to say why he acted so recklessly, but he felt that was private business between him and Todoroki.

"But you were so cool!" Makoto suddenly exclaimed, leaping out of his chair. His crude demeanor had been instantly replaced with child-like amazement. "You were all like 'Smash!' BOOM!" He started making exaggerated hand motions to demonstrate an explosion. "And the ice guy was all like…" He started blowing to show "cold" air. "And then there was fire and explosions and and…" Realizing he was getting a little too excited, Makoto sat back down. "…It sucked you lost, though." Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's display. Seems he had been hiding his true Ashido nature.

"Makoto was rooting for you the whole time. You were his favorite, you know." Aya paused. "Well, except for Mina of course."

"Hey!" The horned boy didn't seem to like that being brought up. "Th-That's not true!"

"Not what I heard," Mina commented, taking another bite of her meal. She turned to her boyfriend. "Mom says he cried when I lost."

"I did _not_!" Makoto slammed a fist on the table for emphasis.

"He was devastated," Mrs. Ashido explained, smiling at Izuku. "Believe it or not, he really looks up to his big sister."

"No I don't! She's a… A… A big stupidhead!" The brother said with a huff, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. Izuku couldn't help but laugh at the childish insult.

"Love you too, pipsqueak," Mina said, winking. Despite the constant bickering, Izuku could tell the two of them did care about each other, in their own way. Makoto remained silent, returning to his meal.

"I think she's pretty great too, Makoto," Izuku said to him, trying to cheer him up a bit. "She'll definitely make a great hero."

"Oh stop it, you." Mina nudged him, a bit of lilac in her face. "I still got a long way to go."

"We know you'll get there, though," her mother said with an encouraging smile. "…As long as you remember to keep your head in the books instead of the clouds."

"Hey!" Mina made a face at her mom for the backhanded compliment.

"Only teasing. It sounds like Izuku here's been a big help with that." Her daughter beamed.

"You bet! You should hear his math villain analogy!"

"N-Now Mina, I don't think we need to…"

The evening went on like this for quite some time. The Ashidos seemed a bit rough in some places, Izuku thought, but that's what made them, well, them. He could beneath the teasing, the bickering, and the awful dad jokes there was a deep love for one another that only a family could have. It wasn't the environment he was used to being in, but he was more than happy to be a part of it tonight.

Eventually, though, all the social stimulation did start to get to him. Noticing this, the family started to wind down before Mina decided to see him off for the night. Of course, her parents insisted on a picture of them together first, much to the couple's embarrassment. Makoto also made sure to ask Izuku for an autograph before he left.

Finally, at about 8:30, the U.A. students left the house. Mina's parents told Izuku to come back anytime he wanted, saying he was "part of the family now".

"Sheesh, I thought they'd never let us leave," Mina said as they walked down the road. She looked at the clearly drained boy next to her. "You alright, Izu?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" He stifled a yawn. "You're family's just a little…"

"Crazy?" Mina finished.

"Well, that's not the word I would-

"Relax, dude, I know they are. I've spent my whole life with 'em, after all." She laughed for a moment, then put on a more serious face. "I just hope it wasn't too much."

"Not at all!" Her freckled companion insisted. "I mean, it was definitely… Different from what I'm used to, but in a good way, you know? Like, they made me feel really welcome, like I was, well, part of the family." He gave a big, sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd love to do this again some time." Mina smiled back, relieved that he had enjoyed himself.

"Well, I'm sure they'd be fine with that. They really liked you, you know. Heck, even Makoto liked you." They both laughed at this.

"He's really something, huh?"

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." She shook her head, but kept her smile. "Still, I can't help but love him. Even if he is a massive pain."

The conversation continued the whole walk to the train station. It continued the entire train ride after Mina decided to ride with her boyfriend. It even continued for the entirety of the walk back to Izuku's apartment, the couple now walking hand in hand.

Finally, they found themselves standing outside the Midoriya residence.

"Oh. We're here already," Mina sounded rather disappointed, despite the fact she had been with Izuku for over 30 minutes now. She turned to her companion. "Well… Guess I'll see you later, then."

"…Yeah." Izuku upset as well.

They stood in front of the door for another moment, hands still together.

"…We should, uh, probably let go of each other now, huh?" The horned girl noted.

"…Yeah."

Another moment passed, and their positions did not change.

Memories of early that evening began creeping into both of their heads.

"…Hey Izu?" They were now looking in each other's eyes once again. "Um… You remember earlier, in my room, um… Right before my brother knocked?"

"…Yeah." The green-haired boy said for the third time. The temperature seemed to be rising for some reason.

"We, uh… We got a little close there, huh?" She slowly took hold of Izuku's other hand, pulling both of them forward a bit so both of their hands were being held at about chest level. "It kinda started like this, didn't it?" She could feel a blush creeping onto her face. Izuku's cheeks had turned considerably red by now, and his whole body had tense up a bit.

He could feel it again. That odd, electrical sensation hat coursed through his whole body, almost like his Full Cowl.

He gazed deeper into his girlfriend's eyes. Pools of glistening black with isles of gold in their centers. From the day they met he had found them fascinating, even before he really knew her. But now? They were beautiful.

 _She_ was beautiful.

Izuku suddenly felt a jolt through his heart. He couldn't risk another interruption this time.

"And then we sorta leaned in and-

Mina stopped mid-sentence as the boy in front of her quickly moved is head forward, planting the tiniest kiss directly on her lips before moving back.

She stared at him for what felt like an eternity, mouth slightly ajar as her eyes widened. Izuku stood perfectly still, face beet-red as he felt sweat start to form on his forehead.

He had done it.

He had actually done it.

Another few seconds passed, neither student's expression changing. The red-faced boy began to suspect he had made a mistake. He let go of her hands, holding them up as if to shield himself.

As he did, Mina's brain finished processing what just happened. A flood of emotion poured through her mind as she tried to come to terms with it.

Izuku Midoriya had just stolen her first kiss.

Her lips were still tingling, even though it had lasted less than a second. She could feel it, taste it.

…And she wanted more.

"Ah! Mina, I-MMPH!"

He didn't get the chance to finish his apology before the pink statue in front of him sprang to life, grabbing the sides of his face before pulling him in for a much deeper kiss. The boy panicked initially, arms flailing as he tried to accept what was happening. Seconds later, though, a wave of euphoria washed over him, calming his mind instantly.

That electrical feeling amplified to the point that his entire body felt numb. Slowly, his eyes shut as he brought his arms down, wrapping one around her back and resting one on the back of her head. He could taste her lips as they pressed against him, a sweetness greater than any dessert he had ever eaten. He pushed is lips against her, taking in that sweet flavor even more as his he smiled. He could feel Mina smiling as well.

"Mmmm…" She made soft, pleasant sound as she felt his mouth press into hers. She was experiencing the same sensations her boyfriend was, and she couldn't get enough.

They stayed lip-locked for nearly a full minute before separating, more to breathe than anything else. Their hands remained in the same positions as they stared at each other, faces full of color.

"…Wow…" Was all Izuku could manage to say.

'Yeah… Wow..."

They held each other for a while longer, debating going in for a second round. Despite the euphoric high they were both experiencing, they remembered their conversation the other day, and decided against it. Eventually, after they came down enough to function, Mina spoke.

"Well… I should probably get going now. For real this time." Reluctantly, the couple separated, Mina keeping one hand on Izuku's cheek for as long as possible when they did. She backed up a few steps, waving with her individual fingers as she did. "Bye~"

"B-B-Bye…" Her boyfriend lazily waved back, a huge, goofy smile on his face. Eventually, she turned around and finally left for the night.

Izuku stood outside for a few more minutes, reflecting on what just happened. He brushed his fingers against his lips, the feeling of Mina's mouth against them more than fresh on his mind.

He was the luckiest guy in the world.

Once he felt able to move his legs again, the lovestruck boy staggered into his house, looking almost drunk as he walked to his room.

The smile didn't leave his face for the rest of the night.

* * *

And that's the Ashido family! Little difficult for me to write, since I'm not really one for OCs. Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Future Concerns

And we're back! Sorry about that brief interruption with the oneshot, but I just couldn't get that idea out of my head.

* * *

Izuku hummed a tune to himself as he cracked open a pair of eggs. Their contents fell into the oiled pan below them, sizzling as they hit the surface and began to cook. As the viscous liquid began to solidify, the cheerful boy moved over to the fridge, pulling out some juice. Setting the bottle on the table, he returned to the eggs just in time to flip them over. He let them sit for a few more seconds before scooping them out onto a plate and turning off the stove. As soon as he did, he heard a sound as two slices of toast popped out of the nearby toaster. Grabbing them, as well as some butter, the boy returned to the table and set the food down.

He continued to hum happily as he ate his breakfast, pausing to check his phone as he felt it buzz. Smiling even more as he read it, he sent a quick response before setting the device down and resuming his meal.

It was a little past 8 AM, and the events of last night were still fresh on Izuku's mind. The memory played in his head like a movie; there he was, just outside his apartment door with the most wonderful girl ever, hands held together as they locked eyes. He vividly recalled that tingling, electrical feeling that rocked his whole body. And of course, he remembered the kiss.

His first real kiss.

The freckled boy brushed a few fingers against his lips, unable to contain a small giggle as he experienced remnants of the sensations he felt in that moment. He could still feel those tender lips, taste their sweetness, hear that soft, happy sound she had made.

A joy-filled sigh escaped his lips.

"Mina…"

While Izuku certainly didn't think his feelings for Mina had lessened at all in the past couple days, her sudden decline in physical affection had been noted. Of course, it had been because of him, and he was extremely grateful she had respected his request to slow things down. But that was the thing; he had said "slow down", not "stagnate". He wanted to be able to be intimate with his girlfriend, but only when he felt ready.

Well, he had felt ready last night.

One reason he was recalling the kiss with such fondness was how it had started. He, shy little Izuku, had actually gathered enough courage in his heart to initiate. It wasn't like the day he asked Mina out; he had done that without being fully aware of his actions. It was not intended at the time, even if he ultimately was happy he had done it.

This kiss, though, had been a conscious decision. Izuku took some pride in that fact. His struggles with conveying his feelings to Mina frustrated him, and he was proud that he had been able to get some of them out in a pretty big way. To him, the first kiss was a major milestone for a relationship, and he had been the one to reach it first, in a manner of speaking.

It was like the first time he managed to use One for All without hurting himself; that first step that made him think "I can do this". He felt like he had grown a bit, that he had become more confident. Even if it was just a little bit.

 _One for All._

The wielder of said Quirk suddenly frowned as a familiar thought sprung into his mind. One that he had had a few times since he started dating Mina.

The fact that she still didn't know about One for All.

Obviously Izuku didn't like keeping his secret from the people he cared about. His mom, his friends… He didn't want to keep the truth from them. But he had, for several months, and only once did he even come remotely close to telling someone. He had faithfully kept his mentor's secret like he promised, and had no intention of giving it up.

Until now, anyway.

After last night, Izuku felt an even deeper connection to Mina than before. And the closer they grew, the more painful it felt to have to keep his secret.

The pink girl had told him she admired him for his honesty and openness; it was one of the things she liked most about him. It was the fact that he had been willing to reveal his past to her, to share his personal secrets that had gotten them started on this path to begin with.

Or at least, the fact that she _thought_ he had shared them.

Knowing all that and still not telling her about One for All hurt Izuku. She was the most wonderful thing to happen to him since the Quirk itself, and he felt she deserved to know because of that.

He had thought about this a few times the past week, but had always managed to tell himself keeping her in the dark was for the best. But after what they shared together last night, he couldn't stand it.

It wasn't fair.

Determination on his face, Izuku picked up his phone.

He had a call to make.

* * *

"Hey Uraraka, it's Mina. I want to talk to you about some stuff, so call me back when you get a chance, k?" Finishing her message, Mina hung up her phone, letting out a somewhat annoyed sigh. She had tried to get a hold of her friend 3 times over the past couple hours, but had received no response. It was only about noon, but the total radio silence was starting to get to Mina.

After Izuku explained what had happened with their mutual friend the other day, Mina couldn't help but wonder if their relationship had been the cause of Uraraka's odd behavior. She and Izuku were very close, after all; they became friends on the first day of school, and had stuck together ever since. There was a time Mina was pretty sure they were going to become a thing; she had teased Uraraka about Izuku a few times in the past and gotten pretty telling responses. But after several months of nothing happening, the pink girl had assumed that they were just good friends; she had chalked up Uraraka's flustered responses to her teasing as just being shy.

Now though? She wasn't so sure that was the case. She couldn't be certain, but… Call it a woman's intuition.

Even if that wasn't the case, something was obviously bothering Uraraka, and as her friend it was Mina's job to try to help. But she couldn't do that if her friend didn't want help.

Deciding to just try again later, Mina returned her attention to the pile of camping gear in front of her. It was the last day before camp, and in true Mina fashion she had waited until the last day to start packing.

She couldn't help but note how fast this week had gone by. She had honestly been so caught up in spending time with Izuku that she had forgotten about the trip for a little while. Now that she was actually packing she had begun to speculate.

Prior to finals, she had been extremely excited about getting to go on the retreat. A week-long getaway with all her friends sounded like a blast. Now, though, she was honestly a little nervous. Mr. Aizawa had described it as a "boot camp", and on top of that Mina was getting fronted with even more work than the rest of the class.

Of course, she only had herself to blame for that.

Given U.A.'s often… Unorthodox training methods, especially after the villain attack on the USJ, Mina began to suspect this retreat would be anything but fun. But at the same time, she was still looking forward to it; she had ultimately come to U.A. to learn how to be a hero, not laze around with buddies. Plus, this was her chance to redeem herself after the finals, to show that she was ready and willing to step up and improve.

Of course, there was one thing that bothered her about it. Getting hit with extra training meant her free time would be extremely limited; she imagined it was already going to be scarce for the passing students, but her? She wondered if she'd even get any time to herself.

And to Izuku.

They'd be there together, and she'd see him, yes, but it was still going to be hard. She obviously didn't know for sure just how much time they'd get together, but she couldn't imagine it being long. Plus, they would likely be exhausted for a lot of it due to whatever training they were going to undergo.

She sighed. It was only a week, at least.

Still, it wouldn't be an easy adjustment. Especially after last night…

Her first kiss was just as "magical" as all those cheesy songs and movies said it would be; Mina still wasn't over the excitement she had felt in that momen.. She was, at her core, a very physical and emotional girl; restraining herself for Izuku's sake had not been easy. Getting a chance to be just a little more intimate with him was wonderful, and that fact that he had led into it made it even better.

Izuku was everything Mina wasn't when it came to expressing his feeling, she knew that. He simply wasn't very comfortable flirting or saying super romantic things. Even if he didn't say it much, she knew he cared for her very much.

But… She'd be lying if she said it didn't bother her a little.

He was getting used to it, she could tell. Last night had proved that. She was sure he'd be willing to be more open in time. Unfortunately, Mina was not good at being patient.

She had been tempted to try to push things even further with that kiss. But she knew that wouldn't have gone over well, and managed to stop herself.

"Baby steps, Mina," she said to herself.

At the end of the day, Izuku was able to convey his feelings in more subtle, subconscious ways. His body language, his tone of voice, the way he looked at her… Whether he realized it or not, Mina could tell how much be adored her. And she felt the same way about him; it was why he was on her mind 24/7.

She needed to make sure she finished packing in time to do _something_ with him today.

At this thought, she began to pick up the pace, shaking herself from her thoughts and getting her bags ready.

* * *

While school was on an official break for the next couple weeks, U.A. was still open during the day. There were many summer programs and classes held in the school during this time, and the staff was of course still at the building preparing for next semester's courses.

That was why Izuku Midoriya was here today.

The student had a determined yet apprehensive look on his face as he stood before a door. This was due to who he was meeting, and what he planned to ask them. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the large door.

Seconds later, the door opened to reveal an enormously buff man sporting blonde hair with two distinct tufts sticking up in the front. On his face was a smile that people all across the globe knew.

"Ah, young Midoriya, please come in," All Might greeted his protégé, gesturing for him to enter the room. As he did, All Might shut the door behind him and locked it before reverting into his true lanky form. Most people would have been horrified at this sight, but Izuku was more than used to it by now.

The two were currently in one of the teacher's lounges. Izuku frequently met with his mentor here to discuss the sorts of things only they could talk about. Sitting down on the couch, the injured hero leaned forward, resting his elbows on the small table in front of him.

"Now, you said you had something you wanted to talk about? And that it involved One for All?" His voice was much less deep and heroic now, a bit of concern in its tone. Izuku had called All Might a few hours ago, saying they needed to talk. It had taken some work for the U.A. teacher to find some free time, but he managed to squeeze something into his schedule.

"Y-Yes," Izuku nodded as he stood before his Quirk's previous wielder. "I-It's… Well, see…" He cursed himself for being unable to speak right at a time like this. "I-It's about M-Mina Ashido!" He managed to get out. All Might looked perplexed.

"…Young Ashido? What about her?" While the #1 hero didn't try to be too nosy about his students' lives, he knew a lot about Izuku and the friends he had made. While everyone – excluding Bakugou – Seemed to get along well enough in Class 1-A, he couldn't say he'd ever seen Izuku and Mina talked much. So why was he talking about her?

His blue eyes widened a bit as the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Wait, don't tell me she somehow found out about One for All!?" He exclaimed, panic streaking across his face.

"Wh-Ah, no no no!" Izuku rapidly shook his head. "That's n-not it!" His mentor breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped a bit, returning to his normal posture shortly after.

"Well if that's not it, then how does this involve her?" His student looked down a bit.

"Er, you s-see, I… She…Augh!" He slapped himself on the cheek, forcing himself to gather his thoughts as he looked back up at All Might. "M-Mina and I are d-d…Dating." The last word took some effort to get out.

The #1 hero stared blankly at the boy for a moment. Of all the things he had expected to hear, that was not one of them.

"You… And Ashido?" He managed to say after a few moments of silent confusion. He hadn't even the slightest inkling that either of the two students were interested in each other in that way. Izuku had certainly never mentioned her before. "Well… I must say I'm quite surprised." He smiled. "But I'm happy to hear it. But what does that have to do with-

He stopped mid-sentence as it dawned on him.

All Might shut his eyes, letting out a long sigh.

"…You want to tell her."

"…Yes." All Might's eyes opened as he gave Izuku a hard look.

"Young Midoriya, I-

"Please, All Might!" Izuku felt a little bad interrupting his idol, but he had no other choice. "B-Before you s-say anything, please… L-Let me explain why I think she sh-should know."

Shutting his mouth, the lanky man was still for a moment. He then gave a small nod, prompting the green-haired boy to begin.

Izuku shared just about everything. Their initial meeting in the classroom, the conversation that occurred, the mall, their first few dates, meeting Mina's family… All the while, emphasizing the trust his girlfriend had for him and how she admired his openness. All Might listened diligently, only ever stopping his protégé to ask a clarifying question or two.

"…So if I'm understanding this correctly, you wish to tell her because you feel you owe it to her to be completely honest. About everything." Izuku nodded. "And if you don't, you feel it makes that first conversation you two had mean less."

"Yes." Izuku nodded again. He felt his explanation was sound enough. He trusted Mina as much as she trusted him, after all; he knew she'd keep the secret safe.

All Might slowly leaned forward, sighing.

"I see where your reasoning is coming from, really I do." He paused, not wanting to say the next words. "However, I'm afraid I can't allow it."

Izuku's arms went slightly limp as a look of utter shock appeared on his face.

"You…You what…?" Regaining his composure, he spoke with a pleading voice. "But All Might, I-

"Midoriya." The boy silenced himself as his mentor spoke a bit louder than normal. He wore a sympathetic expression. "Please, let me speak now."

The former wielder of One for All didn't like having to do this. He could tell Izuku had thought about this for some time, and had convinced himself it was the right thing to do.

However…

"Listen, I understand what you're going through." A soft smile appeared on his lips. "The start of your first relationship. It's a wonderful feeling, I know. You've found someone that makes you feel something nobody else can, and they become everything to you because of it. Your life revolves around them, and just thinking about them makes you smile."

Izuku, forgetting the original topic for a second, blushed at how well All Might seemed to be describing his feelings toward Mina.

"You think it'll be that way forever…" Suddenly, the hero's smile dropped. "But… Sorry to say this, kid, but that's usually not the case." He saw the color suddenly vanish from his student's face.

"…Wh-What?"

What was his mentor trying to say?

"You and Ashido have been together about a week now, yes?" A slow nod answered All Might's question. "Exactly. I need you to step back for a second and really think about that. Can you really say you know if you two will still be together in a month? 3 months? A year?" He didn't want to tell Izuku these things, but the Symbol of Peace knew all too well the kind of tunnel vision romance could give somebody. His student's heart was in the right place, but his judgement had been skewed.

Izuku considered his words. It was something he had never even remotely thought about before.

He had worried he and Mina would hurt their relationship if they moved too fast, but he had never entertained the idea that they might break up for another reason. Thinking about it was creating a pain in his chest; all the time he had spent with Mina this week… He really had just expected things to be like that forever.

It was incredibly naïve.

"…No," he finally answered, looking down. All Might sighed once again.

"Look, I'm not trying to say your relationship won't last. It does happen. But… You need to at least consider the possibility that it won't before you can even think about telling her." Izuku nodded; it felt like a veil had been lifted from his mind.

"B-But… Even with that in mind, I still think she dese-

"Do you love her, Midoriya?"

Izuku completely froze up. The question had completely thrown him off guard.

"H…Huh?" He wasn't sure he heard All Might correctly.

"Mina Ashido. Do you love her?" There was a serious look on the older man's face. "Can you look me in the eye and, without hesitation, tell me you truly love her?"

Love…

Just the word alone gave Izuku pause.

Recovering from his shock, he balled his hands and looked All Might square in the face with conviction. He opened his mouth to answer; of course he did!

"…"

No words came out. He closed and opened his mouth a few more times, but no matter what he couldn't seem to get the words he wanted out.

He felt a slight chill run over him.

Love… Could he honestly say he felt that way about Mina? He cared about her, yes, but love? He didn't even know what true love was supposed to feel like.

Was it even possible to know in such a short time?

He broke eye contact with All Might, his gaze falling to the floor. That action told the #1 hero everything he needed to know.

"Of course not. You'd have no way of knowing that so soon." He spoke calmly and matter-of-factly. Izuku didn't react much to the words as he continued to stare at the floor. He had a distant look to him, all the determination he had shown just a few minutes ago completely gone.

All Might frowned. He needed to say something else to paint this all in a more positive light.

"One more question, young Midoriya." No response. "Have you told your mother about One for All?" At this, Izuku looked up. "You haven't, correct?" A silent nod answered him. "But you love her, of course. And I imagine you want to be as honest with her as you can, right?"

"…Right."

"So why have you not asked if you can tell her?" This question seemed to bring Izuku back to life.

"…Because I don't want to worry her. Or put her in danger." He trusted his mom wouldn't tell a soul about One for All, but that wasn't what made him hesitant to tell her.

"Right. And why?"

"Because… Because she's someone I care about. S-Someone important to me." Izuku understood where this was going.

"Exactly." All Might smiled. "It's too soon to know if you love her, but… young Ashido is important to you too. That much I can tell." He reached across the table, putting a hand on his student's shoulder. "It's not just about protecting One for All… It's about protecting her." He felt the boy shudder a bit before he wiped one of his eyes.

"Y…You're right," he said. "About everything." He hadn't thought this through nearly as well as he first thought. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, kid. Like I said, I know what you're dealing with." All Might patted Izuku's shoulder lightly. "And I hope things work out between you and Ashido. From what it sounds like, you two have a good thing going." His words seemed to brighten the green-haired boy's mood a bit. "Now was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"No, sir." Izuku shook his head. All Might moved his hand off the boy's shoulder.

"Well in that case, I do need to get back to work. Nezu's really holding my feet to the fire," The teacher said, letting out a more comedic sigh as he stood.

"Oh! Well, I won't keep you," Izuku bowed to his mentor, then turned to leave. They both left the room

"I'll see you in about a week. Enjoy the trip!"

"I will, thanks!" The two said their goodbyes before going in opposite directions. All Might chuckled to himself as he walked.

"Ashido, huh? Can't say I was expecting that." The fact that Izuku had even gotten into a relationship was pretty surprising, especially considering nobody else in his class was in one.

He was happy for his protégé, but he knew this would complicate things with One for All. Something told the hero this wasn't the last time they'd be talking about this.

* * *

Izuku left the grounds of U.A., his steps slow as he stared at the ground. His expression was blank and unreadable, though he was clearly deep in thought. Inside his head, conflicting thoughts clashed against each other as he reflected on his talk with All Might.

On one hand, he still believed telling Mina about his Quirk was the right thing to do. The thought of hiding something from her when she had so much trust in him was painful to say the least. But on the other hand, All Might had make very valid and logical points as to why he should and could not tell her. It was more or less his heart vs. his brain.

Aside from that internal argument, the Quirk inheritor was also thinking a lot about the future of his and Mina's relationship. Now that the idea of them separating had been mentioned, he couldn't get it out of his head. Everything seemed fine now, but how would things change as time passed? How would returning to school affect their relationship, for instance? They'd have less time together, after all. What about after U.A.? They could very well move away from each other for university, assuming they were even still together by then. How would they be able to balance their hero careers and their personal relationship?

There were so many uncertainties, so many unknowns, and it frightened him. He didn't want to lose what he had with Mina; she was the best thing that had happened to him in months.

A vibration in his pocket drew him from his worried thoughts. Pulling out his phone, he stopped walking as he saw he had a message from Mina.

Speak of the devil.

"hey izu, u wanna go to the park later? Its our last day before the trip, I wanna spend some time with u"

He was grateful she hadn't called. He likely wouldn't have answered, in all honesty; he was not in the right mindset to speak to her.

But he definitely wanted to see her. He just needed time to get his mind settled.

"Yeah, that'd be great! I'll need a couple hours, though."

"no prob im still packing anyway. How about 4ish?" It was about noon now, so that gave him plenty of time.

"That works. Nabu Park, right?" It was the name of the park they went to last time.

"yep see u then!"

Returning the phone to his pocket, Izuku continued walking, eager to get home.

* * *

The hours flew by for Mina as she scrambled to finish her packing. By the time she had gotten everything in order, it was nearly time to leave for her date. Throwing on one of her "cute" outfits, a slim black t-shirt that exposed her midriff slightly with short denim shorts, she headed out the door and made her way to the park. She wound up being a little late, finding Izuku standing by the main entrance. As he saw her approach, she noticed a streak of red appear across his face as he averted his eyes. This action put a smile on her face; she loved the fact that she could cause the shy boy to react like that just by dressing a certain way.

It wasn't just because she found it cute either. While Mina was certainly comfortable with her body, the fact was that she looked… Odd. She had always stood out, even among her family. She had never gotten picked on for her alien looks, as physical abnormalities were extremely common nowadays, but she had only ever received comments about her mutations. Growing up, her peers would call her horns or eyes "cool", or her pink skin "like, super cute" and such, but it all felt superficial to the girl underneath those features.

Izuku was different.

He had called her pretty on their first date. Not her horns, not her skin. Just… Her. While she didn't react to it much then, it had meant a lot to hear that. It was part of the reason she liked wearing some of her… Less modest outfits around him. Not just to tease him, but to remind herself that he found her attractive.

"Hey Izu!" She pretended not to notice his awkward demeanor, greeting him with a hug along with a kiss on the cheek. He reluctantly returned the gestures, making sure to avoid touching her exposed skin as he did.

"H-Hi, Mina," he said, releasing her. He managed to keep his head straight and his eyes forward. "So, um, what d-did you want to do?" His girlfriend giggled at his rigid posture.

"You know… It's okay if you stare a little," she said quietly. "I don't mind." These words caused the color in Izuku's cheeks to spread to his entire face.

"Wh-Wh…What?" He tried to feign ignorance. "What… What do you mean?" Mina rolled her eyes, a playful grin on her face.

"You know what I mean. And like I said, it's… It's fine. You're my boyfriend, after all." Despite her confident attitude, the pink girl could stop herself from blushing a little. "Anyway, I didn't really have much in mind. Just wanted to be with you, really." Izuku smiled at this, though his blush remained. Mina noticed his eyes dark down for a brief moment before returning their attention to her face. She knew giving her boyfriend permission to check her out could be considered strange, but the fact was she was fine with it.

"Well, um… H-How about we just walk around for a bit?" Izuku suggested.

"Sounds good."

The two began walking down one of the many trails throughout Nabu Park. Not long after they started walking, Mina felt a hand grab hers. Somewhat surprised by the gesture, she turned to look at Izuku. He was avoiding direct eye contact with her, a small, shy smile on his blushing face. She moved closer to him as she started to swing her arm back and forth, moving his along with it.

The blushing boy was clearly still a little nervous doing this sort of thing in public, but after last night he felt significantly more comfortable with it. It was clear the kiss had affected Mina a bit as well; she was already acting a little more flirtatious than before.

And honestly, he didn't mind it.

On top of feeling more willing to display his feelings, Izuku recognized that this was the last day they were going to get to spend this much time together for a little while. He was willing be a bit more open for that reason.

He also wanted to distract himself from the thoughts that echoed in the back of his mind.

The pair spent the next few hours exploring the park, not really concerned with what they were doing as much as who they were doing it with. They climbed a few trees, swung on some swings, and simply sat back and enjoyed nature. They briefly stopped to grab a bite to eat at some point in the evening before returning to their adventures.

Mina was pleased to see Izuku willing to be more open about their relationship. He'd hold her hand, hug her, kiss her cheek… Heck, he even managed to drop a romantic line or two, though his delivery was full of stuttering.

She also noticed his eyes start to wander every so often, though he always caught himself shortly after. She teased him about it, of course, but reassured him it was fine.

Of course, the sweetest moment had to have been when he presented his girlfriend with a bright pink flower. She had squealed with delight at the gesture, nearly crushing him with a hug.

However, Mina couldn't help but notice some oddities in his behavior. She was pretty good at picking up subtleties in voice tone and body language, and she could tell that deep down there was something on Izuku's mind that was bothering him. She had initially decided to let it be, hoping he would eventually just tell her. But as the evening went on, he didn't say a word. This worried her; Izuku wasn't normally one to keep things to himself.

It was around 7:30, and the couple was currently sitting against a tree, looking out at one of the park's larger ponds. Izuku had his arm around Mina, who was curled up against him, head on his shoulder. His head was atop hers, and he held her closer hand with his free one, resting it on his lap.

Unfortunately, as comfortable as Mina was, she couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong.

"…Hey, Izu?"

"Hm?" He was surprised to feel his girlfriend pulling away from him. Sitting up, she turned slightly so she was facing him.

"…Is something bothering you?" She decided to be upfront about the problem. "You've been acting a little strange today."

Izuku froze up. Had he really been that obvious?

He hated his subconscious sometimes.

"S-Strange? What do you mean?" He decided to play dumb first.

"Well, you sometimes get this weird, distant look on your face, like you're thinking about something. Or you'd react to certain things I'd say with an odd flinch or twitch." Still holding his hand, she squeezed it softly as she looked him in the eye. "Please, talk to me Izuku."

Sighing, the green-haired boy looked straight ahead, out at the pond. He knew he couldn't lie. Not about this, anyway.

"Well… Yeah, something been on my mind today," he started. "I, um… I've been thinking, well, us." He felt the hand in his lap tense up. "Oh, n-no! It's n-not like that, I swear!" He looked back at her, frantically assuring her not to get the wrong idea. "But, well… It's kind of related to that sort of thing." He sighed, making sure to choose his words correctly. "I'm just… Worried. This week has been… It's been one of the best weeks of my life." He put his other hand over Mina's so he was grasping it with both of his as he looked his girlfriend in her black-and-gold eyes. "You mean… So much to me, Mina. So, so much."

"Izu…"

"And I'm… I'm worried what we have… After school starts again and we get busier, it won't… We won't…" He could feel tears forming; he shut his eyes. "I-I just don't know, and that… That scares me!" He felt a single set of tears fall. "I…"

He felt a single finger gently touch his tips, prompting to be quiet. Opening his eyes, he saw Mina looking at him with sympathy.

"Sshh…" She moved her finger away as it joined the rest of her hand now cupping the side of his face. She drew closer to him. "You're right; the future isn't certain. Neither of us really know for sure what will happen." The pink-haired girl had thought about this sort of thing herself a bit. "And you know what? There's nothing we can do about that."

She gingerly stroked Izuku's cheek.

"That's why I don't worry about it much." She smiled softly. "Might be part of why my grades are the way they are." She chuckled. "But I like to think more about the now. Because I know what's happening now." She pulled her hand free from his, and rested it on the other side of his face. "And right here, right now… I know I want to be with you."

She leaned in, closing the gap between their lips. She held him there for a few seconds before pulling back just a bit. Their foreheads and noses were touching.

"And as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to keep wanting that." She moved her head back and forth, rubbing her nose against his. "You cute little green bean, you."

Izuku was stunned by Mina's words and actions for a moment. However, he soon found himself agreeing with her mindset. She was right; while his concerns were genuine, there was no sense in worrying about them at this time. The future was always unclear, like she said, and if he spent all his time thinking about it he'd never enjoy the time he had with her now.

And if he couldn't do that, what was the point?

He could no longer here those disturbing thoughts. Instead, there was only one thing on his mind now.

"Mina…"

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in for another kiss. Mina pushed up against him, making a happy, muffled sigh as she enjoyed the warmth of his embrace and the tenderness of his lips.

They remained together like this for several minutes, briefly stopping every so often to breathe. Mina moved one her hands behind her boyfriend's head, gently caressing his hair. Izuku gently moved his hands up and down Mina's back, making sure not to go too low as he did.

When they finally stopped, they slowly returned to the position they had been in prior. Mina giggled softly as she snuggled Izuku, rubbing her cheek against his. He made a similar sound as they played with each other's hands.

All his worries about the future and even One for All were gone for the moment. All that mattered was right here, right now.

And right now, he was happy.

* * *

Alright, starting next chapter, we're going to shift into the training camp. We'll be seeing a bit of a change there as we'll have less time with these two together, and conflicts starting to come to a head. See you next time!


	11. To the Camp

This is likely going to be a less meaty chapter than the last few, just a heads up.

* * *

Izuku and Mina approached the grounds of U.A., hands full with bags. It was the day their class left for the training camp, and they were meeting up with the rest of the students outside the school. As the two walked, they spotted their classmates up ahead. It seemed they were going to be the last ones to arrive.

"Damn, we are running kinda late, huh?" Mina said as she took notice of her peers. "My bad."

The couple had agreed to meet up after getting off their respective trains and walk to school together. Unfortunately for Izuku, Mina ended up running a little late due to her usual morning habits. He had waited about 20 minutes for her.

"You could've gone on ahead, you know," Mina continued. "I wouldn't have minded… Much." She winked.

"Oh no, it's fine. We're not that late, really. Besides…" Izuku sighed. "It, uh, gave me some time to prepare myself." The girl at his side gave him a look of concern.

"You sure you wanna do this, dude?" Her boyfriend nodded.

"Yeah. I'd rather tell everyone sooner rather than later."

The two of them had decided to "announce" their relationship to the rest of their class as soon as possible.

"Well alright. How did you want to do it then? You want us to just stand in front of everyone and be like 'hey guys, we're dating!' or something?"

"Uh… No, that's a little much," Izuku said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, seems a little over the top," Mina agreed. "Well, we don't have to actually say anything. We could just act like, well, us." She moved a bit closer to him. "If you're okay with that, I mean." Her hands too preoccupied to grab his, but the freckled boy understood the intent.

"Uh…" His cheeks turned a light red, but quickly went back to normal. "M-Maybe that's the best way." He wasn't totally comfortable with the idea, but he preferred it to the first option.

As they continued to discuss how to address the issue, a somewhat frazzled looking Kaminari ran up to them.

"Oh man, there you are! Listen, before anything happens, I just want to say-

"MIDORIYA!" A voice cried out before something small and purple slammed into Izuku, shoving him back several feet. Nearly losing his balance, he felt something clutching at his shirt. Looking down, he saw Minoru Mineta grasping his clothing as he stared up at the boy, eyes full of some mixture of envy and admiration. "How they heck did you do it, man!? You gotta tell me!"

"Wha…?" Izuku was completely lost. "Wh-What are you-

"Ashido! How'd you score a babe like her!?" Mineta started shaking the green-haired boy. "What's the secret? Flowers? Chocolate? Telling her she's got nice boobs? What is it!?" It took a second for Izuku to process everything, but the second he did his face turned bright red. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't form words. Meanwhile, Mina looked like she was ready to sock Mineta in the face. However, before she could, someone else grabbed her.

"Ohmygosh! I'm soooo happy for you two!" Tooru Hagakure's cheery voice rang out as she hugged her pink friend.

"Wha…" Blushing slightly, Mina turned her head to Kaminari, who was prying Mineta off of Izuku. "Kaminari, what did you do?"

"Opened his big mouth, what else?" Jirou answered, approaching the group.

"Hey, I didn't… I only told Mineta!" The punk girl looked at her brunette friend, rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, because he's _so good_ at keeping things quiet." She returned her attention to Mina. "So yeah, he told Mineta and Mineta basically told everyone." Mina was only half-paying attention to Jirou as Hagakure rattled off questions in her ear. Kaminari was now dragging Mineta away from the still-stunned Izuku, the perverted student now yelling something about bras.

The rest of their classmates were fortunately a little more civil. They all wanted to know a little more, as the relationship was a surprise to all of them, but they made sure not to pester the two very much. Of course, Izuku and Mina were both still quite embarrassed about the whole situation.

The commotion only lasted a few minutes before Mr. Aizawa walked out from the school. As soon as he was present, the entire class immediately quieted down.

"Alright, looks like everyone' here," the teacher said. "We still have a little while before the bus gets here, so I want to go over a few things before we go."

* * *

The bus was full of chatter as it began its departure from the school grounds. It was almost completely packed with the students of class 1-A, who were all discussing a multitude of topics with whoever was nearby. Izuku sat near the back, still recovering from the shock he had experienced several minutes ago.

"…Look, I'm really sorry, man. I don't know what I was thinking." Kaminari peered over the seat in front of Izuku as he apologized.

"That's because you weren't thinking, dumbass," Kirshima, who was sitting next to Izuku, said. "Seriously, why tell Mineta of all people?" The blonde smiled sheepishly.

"I, uh… I guess I wanted to see how he'd react. I knew he'd be completely floored."

"And start screaming about it so everyone could hear," Kirishima added. He turned to the boy sitting next to him. "Seriously, though, you good man?"

"Huh?" Izuku looked at the redhead. "Oh, um, yeah." He looked back up at Kaminari. "And it's… It's fine, Kaminari. We were probably going to say something anyway." He gave a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just, uh, we kind of got caught off guard."

"Still can't believe he asked you what Mina's bra size is. Like, what the hell?" Kaminari laughed before suddenly giving Izuku a strange look. "You, uh, you don't actually know that… Do you?" There was an almost… Hopeful look in his eyes.

"WHAT!?" Izuku yelped, his face turning beet-red. "Wh-Wh-Why would I-I know th-that?" He didn't like what that seemed to imply.

"Dude, knock it off!" Kirishima reached up and shoved his friend a bit.

"Alright, alright, sorry!" Kaminari apologized, sighing. "I'll just… Go now." He turned around, sitting back in his seat.

"Sorry about him. He's not much better than Mineta some days," Kirishima said to Izuku, grinning. Still flustered from the rather personal question, the red-faced boy simply nodded. The spiky-haired boy leaned back in his seat. "Though you know, I almost admire that little guy. Like, there's something about how upfront he is about it all." He laughed a bit. "Know what I mean?"

"It's… It's something, yes," Izuku responded. He couldn't even begin to fathom being that… Bold when it came to girls. Up until he met Uraraka, he could barely hold a conversation with one. Realizing his friend was a little uncomfortable, Kirishima decided to change the subject.

"Anyway… How excited are you for this trip, man?" The redhead made a fist, grinning. "A week of non-stop training in the mountains? Can't think of anything manlier!"

"I'm definitely looking forward to it." While he didn't share Kirishima's enthusiasm, Izuku was certainly excited. More training meant he would be that much closer to becoming a real hero. "The location change was a surprise, though."

"Yeah, but at least they're still doing it. With how crazy things have been I was half-expecting them to cancel." Mr. Aizawa had informed the class of a last-minute change to the camp's location, a safety measure due to the increased villain activity. "Glad they didn't though." Pausing, Kirishima's face fell a bit. "Though I bet I'll be saying otherwise in a few days… I'm sure our teacher's got _tons_ of fun planned for me and the other flunkies."

"I-I'm sure it won't be that bad!" Izuku forced a smile as he assured his friend.

"Come on dude, you realize who we're talking about here, right?" The sharp-toothed boy sighed. "Honestly, I'm more worried about Mina. Aizawa's really got it out for her." Izuku dropped his smile at the mention of this.

Kirishima wasn't wrong, of course; Mina was not exactly a model student. While she by no means was the only one in the class that could draw their homeroom teacher's ire, she was certainly the most frequent offender. Izuku had seen her be called to his office or asked to stay after class more times than he cared to remember, and he assumed she held the class record for detention.

"Yeah…" He agreed. "But I think…" A more genuine smile appeared on his face. "I think she'll surprise him."

Mina had acknowledged her behavior needed to change. She and Izuku had sort of been addressing it all week with their study sessions, and as far as he could tell she was still serious about the whole thing.

That said, her newfound resolve hadn't been tested yet. That was about to change, and like Kirishima said, Aizawa was probably going to put her through the wringer.

"Right, you've been studying and stuff." Kirishima tilted his head. "Has that actually been working out?" Izuku nodded.

"It was a little rough at first, but it's been going well overall." Izuku was rather proud of Mina's progress; they had actually managed to cover everything she had really struggled with, which was no small feat. It was clear she still needed to polish some areas up, but she had a much better understanding of the material overall. Plus, as the week had gone on, Izuku had to spend less and less time on each topic.

"No kidding? Well, glad to hear it!" Kirishima clapped Izuku on the back, grinning. "You must be really rubbing off on her." He laughed as Izuku blushed, looking away.

"Well, I-I don't know a-about that…"

"Nah, really dude! Ever since you two started talking the girl's been acting different. Heck, even before you started going out she was going on about studying. She even told me she was sorta looking forward to doing extra work at camp, can you believe that?" Kirishima shook his head, still smiling. Suddenly, the smile vanished as his face took on a more serious look. "But seriously, dude… Thanks." Izuku turned back to his friend, looking slightly confused.

"Huh? For what?"

"For whatever it was you said to Mina after the exam," the redhead clarified. Izuku's eyes widened for a second, then relaxed as he recalled that Mina said she had told Kirishima about that. "I don't know exactly what you guys talked about, and I won't ask, but… Whatever it was, it was clearly something she needed to hear." The hardening Quirk user recalled seeing Mina sulking after her exam, but he was too frustrated by his own failure at the time to try to console her.

Izuku was silent for a moment, thinking back once again to that day. He had just happened to pass by the classroom, just happened to notice Mina in there. He remembered how eager he had been to get home; he could have very easily just ignored her and moved on. He could have not decided to go into that room and comfort some girl he barely knew.

But he did, of course. How could he not after seeing how she looked?

"I just… I couldn't stand to see her looking so… Broken," he said quietly. "She's always so happy, so when I saw how upset she was I just… I had to do something."

"Meanwhile I was too busy feelin' sorry for myself to do anything," Kirishima commented. "Some friend I am, huh?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Seriously, I've known her since middle school and yet I didn't do crap." Izuku looked at his red-haired friend with concern as his voice grew angrier

"Kirishima, you-

"Meanwhile you, a guy who barely speaks to her, managed to step up." Despite his tone, Kirishima smiled at the freckled boy. "You're way more of a man than me, Midoriya," he said, resting a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder. "…She really deserves you."

It was the reason that Kirishima, no matter what his feelings for Mina may have been, couldn't bring himself to resent Izuku: He admired the guy far too much. He may have been awkward, but he was someone Kirishima could trust to provide the best for Mina. And as far as the redhead was concerned, that was good enough.

Izuku was clearly taken aback by this comment. Blushing slightly, he stared at Kirishima for a moment in surprise.

"I… Y-You really think that?"

"I know it." Flashing another pointy grin, Kirishima tussled his friend's hair. "Just make sure you treat her right, yeah?" He laughed as Izuku's blush deepened.

Izuku was quite surprised that Kirishima had this much respect for him. Much like Mina, the two of them hadn't spoken that much before now. In fact, the Crimson Riot fan had spent much more time talking with…

The One for All inheritor turned his head to look down the bus aisle. Towards the middle of the bus sat Bakugou, who was facing forward, keeping to himself. Tokoyami, seated next to him, didn't seem to be attempting to converse with the explosive student. Following his gaze, Kirishima realized who he was looking at, and frowned.

Out of everyone in class 1-A, he was probably the only one who could consider Bakugou a friend. The blonde seemed to have gained some amount of respect for Kirishima after the USJ incident, who had already admired the other despite his attitude. This was because, in addition to his skill, Kirishima knew that deep down, Bakugou had a heart; he wouldn't admit it, but he didn't think as poorly of his classmates as he let on. This was evident during the USJ attack, where he implied they would be able to handle the villains just fine, and during the Sports Festival after his fight with Uraraka.

His relationship with Izuku, however, was another matter.

Kirishima didn't know why Bakugou had it out for the guy so much. The two of them obviously knew each other before U.A., and from the sounds of it they didn't get along in the slightest. The spiky-haired boy hadn't really given it much thought before, but now that he was better friends with Izuku he couldn't help but wonder just what the story between them was.

"He looks happy as ever, eh?" Kirishima asked. Izuku looked back at him, slightly confused. "Bakugou I mean."

"Oh." The shy boy looked away, not saying anything else.

"…What's up with you and him, anyway?" Kirishima couldn't resist asking. He considered both of them his friends, and he didn't want to see them fighting. Izuku didn't answer, turning his attention to the window.

His history with Bakugou? That was a long story. One that, frankly, he didn't feel comfortable talking about Kirishima with. The taller boy thankfully seemed to realize this.

"Alright, sensitive topic, I get it. But hey, you ever want to talk about it let me know, alright?"

"…Ok." He appreciated the offer, but Izuku didn't think he'd ever take it. His relationship with Bakugou was a rather personal matter, one he didn't like talking to anyone about. Thinking about it, he realized he hadn't even told Mina.

Another thing he'd kept from her…

Kirishima looked back at Bakugou, surprised to see that he was looking back at them. More specifically, he seemed to be glaring intently at Izuku. His attention turned to Kirishima, who simply raised an eyebrow. Scowling at his "friend", Bakugou turned back around.

"The hell is up with him…?" Kirishima muttered to himself. The explosion Quirk user had been in a worse mood than usual this morning; he seemed extra pissed after Mineta started shouting about Izuku and Mina, screaming something along the lines of "who gives a fuck" at him. The redhead also noticed him about to go off again while everyone was pestering the couple right before Mr. Aizawa arrived.

He decided not to think about it too much. Any number of things could set Bakugou off, after all. Looking back at Izuku, he decided to talk about something else.

"Hey, so I've been wanting to ask a couple things about your Quirk…"

* * *

"…And then we just kinda sat in the tree and watched the sunset for a while," Mina said, finishing her story.

"Oh my goooosh!" A floating set of clothes next to her wriggled as Hagakure squealed in delight. "That sounds _so_ romantic!" Her pink friend let out a happy sigh.

"It sure was…" She had a dreamy look in her eyes as she spoke, fondly remembering the day she and Izuku officially became a couple. It hadn't even been a week since then, but it felt so much longer.

The two girls had spent most of the bus ride so far talking about Izuku. Hagakure wanted to know all the details about her friend's relationship, and now that she wasn't getting swarmed Mina was happy to fill her in.

"So… You kiss yet?" Hagakure asked in a low voice. Blushing slightly, Mina nodded. "Like, mouth to mouth?" The pink girl fidgeted, unable to hide the smile appearing on her face.

"…Twice," She loudly whispered, flashing two fingers for emphasis.

"Ooooooo!" The invisible girl put her hands on her cheeks as Mina's blush intensified.

The horned girl like being able to talk about her boyfriend like this. It was silly and a little immature, yes, but then again so was she. "Girl talk" was just something she enjoyed, and Hagakure was really the only one in the class she could do it with.

"I'm gonna need a picture of you two, ASAP. You guys sound sooo cute together!" The transparent girl folded her arms, possibly pouting. "Stupid seating assignments putting him in the back." Mina giggled, amused by how much her friend was fawning over her relationship.

"I'll make sure to take one for you," she said, winking.

"You better." Hagakure also laughed. "…Seriously though, it sounds like you found a total sweetheart. I'm kinda jealous, to be honest."

 _Jealous_

At the mention of that word, Mina suddenly found herself looking toward the back of the bus. Her eyes rested on Uraraka, who was sitting a few rows behind her and Hagakure. The brunette was currently talking with Tsuyu, and seemed to be enjoying herself.

She hadn't approached Mina earlier. Or Izuku, for that matter. When the two of them were busy talking to everyone about well, them, Mina noticed Uraraka had hung back, talking with Todoroki of all people.

She had never gotten back to Mina yesterday, and Izuku hadn't mentioned her contacting him either. The longer this went on, the more Mina suspected her theory was true.

Uraraka did in fact like Izuku, and seeing him with someone else had upset her.

Mina didn't think she was jealous, per say. At least not in the normal spiteful, vindictive way; Uraraka just wasn't that kind of person. In fact, she may not have even been aware of the fact she liked Izuku. After all, she had fervently denied having feelings for him every time Mina had asked.

And if _that_ was the case, it made addressing the problem a lot more difficult.

Uraraka suddenly turned her head, noticing Mina was looking at her. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Uh, Mina?" The pink-haired girl felt a fist knocking against her head. "Hello?" Realizing how weird she must have looked, Mina turned back to face Hagakure.

"Oh, sorry about that. What were you saying?"

"I was just asking if-

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Their conversation was cut off by Mr. Aizawa's voice. Instantly, the bus quieted down. "We're going to be making a quick stop in a minute to let everyone stretch their legs, got it?"

Mina perked up at this. She _was_ feeling a little cramped sitting for so long. Plus, she'd get talk to Izuku.

"Nice of them to actually think of us for once," she muttered.

* * *

Sometimes, Mina hated U.A.

Taking a minute to make sure she wasn't injured, the pink girl stood to her feet as she tried to process what just happened. One minute, she was standing on a cliff overlooking a vast mountain forest, the lodge they were staying at in the distance. The next, some cat-themed heroes appeared out of nowhere, the apparent owners of this land.

The next, Mina and the rest of the class felt the ground collapse under their feet as they plummeted into the woods below, hearing something about having two hours to get to the lodge and a "forest of devil beasts".

Yes, sometimes Mina _really_ hated U.A.

"Mina!" She heard a panicked voice call her name as Izuku ran over to her. "A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Pissed off, but fine," she replied, dusting herself off. All around her, the rest of the class were trying to get their bearings as well. "I mean… Seriously? We're walking the rest of the way? And we have two hours or we miss lunch? Could this get any worse?"

She immediately regretted her words as a horrific roar echoed through the forest.

"…Why did I even say that?"

An enormous, four-legged creature came crashing through the trees, looking like a monster out of some horror movie. It had no eyes, massive, sharp teeth, and a rock-like exterior.

Was _that_ a "devil beast"?

Before Mina could finish processing what she was even looking at, she saw Koji Koda actually approach the monstrosity, attempting to communicate. His request for it to calm down seemed to fall on deaf ears as the thing roared again.

As the normally silent boy panicked, Mina noticed something odd about the beast before them.

It was made of… Dirt?

She suddenly felt a rush of air beside her. A second late, the earthen creature was in pieces as Izuku, alongside Todoroki, Iida, and Bakugou, blasted through its body. In another second, the four of them were charging ahead.

Leading the pack, like always.

Mina clenched a fist.

She had barely finished recovering from the sight of the monster, and they had already sprung into action.

Not again.

Crouching down into a sprinter's position, she readied herself.

She wouldn't let herself fall behind anymore.

She exploded off her feet, charging after the four students. After picking up enough speed, she generated some weak acid in her feet as she began to slide. Behind her, she heard several voices as the rest of the class started moving as well. Ahead of her, more roaring could be heard. There was a flash of light as either Bakugou or Todoroki engaged another beast.

Mina continued to "skate" through the forest, weaving through trees as she went. As she rounded a particularly large tree, her eyes suddenly widened.

There was a dirt-beast standing directly in her path. And she didn't have time to swerve out of the way.

"Shit!" She cursed. "What do I do, what do I…"

No. She couldn't afford to panic right now.

Time seemed to slow as she focused. The creature in front of her was made of dirt and rock, which meant…

Mina quickly generated the strongest acid she could muster in her hands before hurling two globs at the beast. They hit their marks, melting clean through its front legs in seconds. Just before colliding with the beast, which had now fallen forward onto its face, the acid-flinging girl leapt into the air, landing on its head. She rode along its back, her hands releasing more acid down its body as she went. Leaping off its other end, she landed on the ground with a roll, turning to face her opponent.

Or at least, what remained of it.

The earthen beast collapsed in on itself as acid ate away at its body. In seconds, it was nothing more than a pile of inanimate dirt and rock.

Taking a few seconds to catch her breath, Mina reflected on what just happened.

In those precious few seconds, she had managed to think clearly enough to devise a makeshift plan. It had admittedly mainly been her reflexes at work, but the fact that she thought to attack its legs like that was… Surprising. Normally, she would have been too panicked to think straight, and her body would have just locked up.

What had changed? Why had she felt so much more level-headed? Why…

"Oh my god."

Her mind drifted back to her first study session with Izuku, and the conversation they had about "brain workouts". Staring at the smoking pile of dirt in front of her, she started laughing.

"Well, one math problem down," she said to herself as she turned, hearing more roars in the distance. "Way more to go."

She charged ahead, a cocky smile now on her face.

* * *

Short and fairly uneventful chapter, I know. This was mostly just to transition to the camp; next chapter should be a little more substantial.

And I'm aware I messed with the bus seating. Figured it wasn't a big deal, and I wanted Izuku and Kirishima to talk a bit.


	12. An Eventful Evening

And we're back!

* * *

Mina felt like she was going to die.

The sun was setting when she, along with the rest of her class, finally made it to the lodge. It had taken about 8 hours; 4 times what they had been told.

Clutching her stomach as it rumbled, Mina tried her hardest to pay attention to what Mr. Aizawa and the other heroes, this group known as the Wild Pussycats, were saying. Unfortunately, the combination of exhaustion, hunger, and some amount of pain was making that rather difficult.

Still, she managed to piece together a few things. For one, the Wild Pussycats seemed apologetic about the whole "2 hour" thing; that was apparently how long it took _them_ to get through those woods. Somehow, they hadn't considered the fact that _maybe_ a bunch of first year high school students wouldn't be able to do that.

But they seemed to acknowledge their mistake. Plus, they actually seemed rather impressed with the class's performance (they had somehow been watching, apparently).

"…Especially you four over there." The one heroine responsible for summoning the "devil beasts" pointed at the four students who had initially led the charge, Izuku being among them. Mina smiled at this; it was nice to see people acknowledge him. Lord knows he deserved it with how hard he worked.

Her smile dropped, though, when the lady talking to Izuku and the others started spitting all over them, "claiming" them as it were. As Mina was about to say something, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw another member of the Wild Pussycats looking at her, this one with black hair.

"Don't mind her. She's just getting to _that_ age." She paused. "You did pretty well out there yourself, you know. You weren't too far behind those four."

Mina's eyes widened a bit at this. She was… Complimenting her? Had she really done that well? She had gotten a bit of a head start on everyone else, but still…

"…My nephew." Recovering from the surprise of being commended by a pro, Mina saw the same woman who had spoken to her now talking to Izuku. She was currently gesturing towards the small boy that was with her. "Kouta, come say hi!"

The young boy, Kouta, slowly walked over to Izuku. Mina couldn't help but notice the hard look on his face as he approached. Izuku crouched down, extending his arm to shake the boy's hand as he introduced himself.

A second later, he was keeled over on the ground, clutching between his legs as Kouta stomped off. Mina blinked a few times as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

Did that kid just punch her boyfriend in the crotch!?

"IZU!" She cried, running over to the collapsed boy. "Are you alright!?" A meek, high-pitched squeal was the only response she got. She wanted to yell at Kouta and his aunt, but it seemed Iida was already on it.

What the hell was that kid's problem?

Patting Izuku on the back as he slowly recovered, Mina heard laughter behind her. Immediately recognizing the voice, she quickly turned around.

Of course Bakugou would find this funny.

Her black sclera narrowed as she glared at the laughing blonde, who was clearly enjoying Izuku's pain. His laughter stopped as he noticed the look he was getting, his amused look quickly turning into a scowl as he matched the pink girl's glare.

The two stared each other down for a few seconds, though it felt much longer to Mina. Before anything else happened, Todoroki said something to Bakugou that seemed to set him off; in an instant, he was screaming at the guy, apparently forgetting about Mina. Her gaze lingered on him for a few more seconds before she returned her attention to Izuku, who was slowly getting to his feet.

"Alright big guy, take it easy…" She said, helping him stand. "You good?" A small nod answered her question.

"Pipe down with the comedy act and go take your stuff off the bus." Mr. Aizawa's voice was directed at Bakugou and Todoroki, though he was clearly addressing everyone. "Once you've brought your bags to your rooms, dinner's waiting in the mess hall. After that you can hit the baths, then it's lights out. The camp will truly start tomorrow."

The mention of food and a hot bath seemed to revitalize Izuku as he fully stood. Mina couldn't blame him; her stomach growled once again, reminding her of how hungry she was.

Everyone scrambled for the bus, eager to get dinner.

* * *

Mina had never appreciated the sight of food this much.

Like almost everyone around her, the hero-in-training was wolfing down a generous helping of food, desperate to stop the gnawing pain in her stomach. The Wild Pussycats had laid out a generous buffet for the class, though they claimed this was only for tonight. Mina could have worried about what that meant for her future meals, but she instead decided to focus on enjoying this one.

After nearly choking on a chunk of rice, the eager girl decided to slow herself down a little bit. Next to her, Izuku had also begun eating a more normal rate now that he didn't feel like he was actually starving.

"Heck of a first day, huh?" Mina asked. Swallowing a mouthful of rice, Izuku looked at her.

"That's… A bit of an understatement," he answered. "And according to Mr. Aizawa the real training hasn't even started yet." There was a hint of fear in his voice. Mina had to admit that was rather ominous.

Especially for her.

"We really should've expected this," she said, sighing. "Ever since the USJ, class has gotten way more intense."

As rough as it could get, both Mina and Izuku recognized that their class was being put through more rigorous training and tests like this because Mr. Aizawa, as well as the rest of U.A.'s staff, believed they could handle it. It was a sign of confidence in the students' abilities.

It was tough love, basically.

"S-Sorry, by the way…" Izuku suddenly said, looking at the floor, guilt on his face.

"Hm? What for?" Mina wasn't sure what he could possibly be apologizing for.

"W-Well, back in the forest, I… I just kind of charged ahead at the start. I didn't… I should've waited for you." He hadn't really been thinking at the time; instinct had taken over, and told him that he needed to keep moving. By the time he realized he had left Mina, she was nowhere in sight. He had actually spent a little time looking for her, but had been unsuccessful.

Mina rested a hand on his.

"Izu, look at me." Her boyfriend slowly looked up. "You don't have to apologize about that."

"But-

"No buts, listen." Izuku kept quiet, prompting her to continue. "When I was in those woods, fighting those dirt monsters, I felt… Different. It's tough to explain, but… I was able to focus more." She paused, trying to think of how to put her thoughts into words. "Like, I was able to think and react whenever one of those beast things showed up. I didn't just start panicking or going 'what do I do?', you know?" She smiled. "And I have you to thank for that."

"M-Me?" Izuku pointed at himself, looking surprised at this.

"Yes you, silly." She poked his forehead. "You were right about all that 'brain training' stuff." She tapped her noggin a few times. "Like, I could actually tell I was acting… Smarter, I guess?"

"O-Oh!" Izuku understood why she was thanking him now. "I-I mean, I just explained stuff. You're the one who did all the work learning and-

"Oh just take the compliment." Mina rolled her eyes. She adored Izuku, but he really needed to learn to have a little pride in himself. "Besides, it's not just that." Her face grew more serious. "You've pushed yourself harder than anyone here, Izu. And it shows." Izuku opened his mouth. "Ah! Zip it. It's true, whether or not you want to admit it." The green-haired boy stayed quiet. "And when I was out there in those woods, that's all I could think about. Seeing you blitz ahead of everyone like that just reminded me how much of a… Gap there is between you and me." Her eyes moved down for a moment as she said this

"Mina…"

"But." She looked Izuku in the eyes again. "That was the kick in the pants I needed. A reminder of how much harder I need to work if I'm ever going to become a hero." She grinned, squeezing his hand a bit. "So don't you dare slow down for me, Izuku. Both for your sake and mine."

Izuku understood.

"Right." He nodded, smiling back at her.

* * *

After everything he had been through today, a hot bath was exactly what Izuku needed.

Sighing happily as he let himself sink down to his chin in the water, the overworked student let his aching body relax as he shut his eyes. Between his full stomach and the steaming waters, he was feeling quite lethargic as he leaned back against the wall of the bath. He could hear the voices of his fellow students, though they sounded distant and muffled.

As he sat there, Izuku found himself thinking about his conversation with Mina. It felt odd being such an inspiration to someone, especially when that someone was his girlfriend. He knew she admired him, but from how she had phrased things it almost sounded like she considered him a role model.

While the inheritor of One for All was pretty modest, he wasn't blind; he knew a lot of his class looked up to him in some respects. He had been the first choice to represent the class, after all. While he was happy to know he had earned the respect of his peers, he often wondered if that admiration was misplaced; none of them knew the full story behind him and his Quirk, after all. In Izuku's mind, he was barely getting by.

Still, Mina's words had touched him. He rarely got praised directly like that, and to hear it from her of all people was… Encouraging.

He just hoped he could continue to be the person she thought he was.

"Psst. Hey, Midoriya." A whispering voice in his ear roused Izuku from his half-asleep state. "Midoriya!"

"Hn?" Opening his eyes, the sleepy student turned his head to see Mineta next to him on the edge of the bath. "Mineta? What is it?"

"Dude, it's our lucky day," the shorter boy whispered. Izuku had a sinking feeling this was going somewhere bad. "See, they didn't stagger the bath times for the boys and girls. So on the other side of that…" Mineta snickered as he pointed to the large wall behind them. "We just gotta sneak on over and enjoy the show!"

Izuku's face went flush as he realized what the lecherous boy was getting at.

"Wh-What are you talking about!?" He had no idea why he was still whispering.

"What do you mean what am I talking about? I'm talking about getting to see the girls bathing!"

"B-B-But… But why are y-you telling m-m-me this!?" Izuku couldn't fathom why Mineta was coming to him of all people.

"Come on man, don't play dumb. You managed to bag one of the hottest babes in the class! You gotta be _dying_ to see her… Fully exposed."

Izuku's face turned from white to red in an instant as his eyes widened. He attempted to say something protesting this assumption, but all that came out of his mouth was incomprehensible babbling.

"That's what I thought." Mineta grinned. "How could you not want to? Those healthy thighs, that slender waist, those luscious boobs…!" The perverted student started to drool as a manic look appeared on his face.

Izuku nearly fainted as Mineta continued to describe Mina's body in excruciating detail. He wanted to scream at his classmate to stop, or cover his ears, or… Or _something_. Anything to stop himself from hearing this.

And yet, he remained quiet and still.

The darkest parts of Izuku's imagination began to work as Mineta's words echoed in his head. A mental picture of Mina started forming, no matter how hard he tried to stop himself. How could be possibly be thinking this kind of stuff? This was his girlfriend!

…This was his girlfriend.

"… _It's okay if you stare a little…"_

For a brief moment, the image in Izuku's head became fully realized. He could see her… All of her.

A smile slowly crept onto his face.

"…AAAAAAH!"

Screaming both internally and externally, Izuku went into a panic as he regained his composure. The lewd image of Mina was purged from his mind as he leapt to his feet in the water.

What the hell was wrong with him? How could he think that kind of stuff about her?

Guilt and shame wracked his mind. As his panic died down, he suddenly became aware of the argument going on behind him.

"What you're doing is a shameful deed!" Iida's voice shouted. Turning his head, Izuku saw the class representative scolding Mineta; he had apparently overheard the "plan". "I will not allow you and Midoriya to defile our school's image like this!"

"Wait, WHAT!?" Izuku cried, his face a deep red. Did Iida think he was actually going to go along with whatever Mineta was plotting? "I-I n-never said…"

"And you!" The tall student turned his attention to Izuku. "I would never expect this sort of behavior from you, Midoriya! How can you possibly go along with this despicable act!"

"W-Wait, I… Ah, Mineta!" As he tried to think of a way to explain the situation to his friend, Izuku noticed Mineta had suddenly started climbing the wall with his Quirk at an alarming speed.

"Wha-MINETA!" Iida roared, turning back around.

"Thanks for the assist, Midoriya!" The wall-climbing boy yelled down.

Everything after that happened before Izuku could fully process what he was seeing. One moment, Mineta was at the top of the wall. The next, Kouta suddenly appeared atop the all. Immediately after, Mineta was falling to the ground as the kid shoved him.

Seconds later, Kouta was also falling, looking like he had passed out.

In an instant, Izuku forgot about everything that had occurred in the last few minutes, and sprang into action. Activating his Quirk, the disciple of All Might leapt into the air, catching Kouta before he hit the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iida had done the same for Mineta.

Landing on the ground, Izuku was able to confirm that the child had indeed fainted. He had idea what had caused it, nor did he know what Kouta was even doing up there in the first place. But none of that mattered right.

"I need to get him to his aunt!" The hero-in-training shouted before making his way toward the bath's exit.

* * *

"Uh oh… I-Is he okay?" Mina put a hand to her lip, concern in her voice.

"It sounds like someone caught him, ribbit." Tsuyu looked at her friend, who was seated on the rocks of the spring. "I don't think getting his attention while you're like that was the smartest move."

"I-I just wanted to thank him!" Mina blushed slightly. While she was still mad at Kouta for assaulting her boyfriend, she was grateful he had stopped their class's resident creeper from sneaking a peek. She had admittedly forgotten he was a young boy when she got his attention, and given her current appearance she wasn't surprised he had freaked out like that.

Still, it sounded like he was fine, so Mina stopped worrying. Deciding she'd been out of the water long enough, the pink girl lowered herself back into the spring.

"Aaaah… Man, I hope this isn't the only night we get to do this." The Wild Pussycats had said they were only getting special treatment tonight, but it's not like the students couldn't bathe all week, right? If nothing else, Mina hoped it would be a reward at the end of the training.

Unlike Izuku, Mina was feeling quite social. She spent a good deal of time chatting with her classmates about a variety of things. The main topic of discussion among everyone was the camp as they speculated on what the training was going to be like.

"I'm sure it'll be rough," Jirou predicted. "But hey, not like we're gonna learn anything if they take it easy on us, right?"

"U.A. is the top school for a reason, after all," Yaoyorozu added.

"I'm just happy we don't have to deal with those extra lessons like the others… Oh!" Hagakure put a hand over her mouth, though nobody could see it. "Er… Sorry, Mina."

"Nah, you're good," Mina assured her friend. "I kinda deserve it for all the slacking. I mean yeah, it's probably gonna suck, but it's for my own good." The group stared at her in surprise. "What?"

"That's surprisingly mature of you," Tsuyu said plainly. "Guess Midoriya's a good influence, ribbit."

"H-Hey! Who says I'm not mature?" Mina huffed. "I'm like, super mature for my age!"

"Yeah, physically…" Jirou muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

As the girls continued to converse, Mina noted Uraraka's relative silence. She participated in the conversation, and even talked to Mina a couple times, but anytime someone mentioned Izuku, she'd either clam up or try to change the subject. Mina wanted to say something, but not in front of everyone else. She needed to get Uraraka in private, preferably before tomorrow when the training started; she had a feeling she wouldn't get another chance all week, especially with the extra work.

She'd find her later tonight.

After a little while longer, Mina decided she'd had enough bath time, wanting to get a little time with Izuku before lights out. Leaving the bath area and getting changed, the horned girl set about searching for her boyfriend. She soon came across Kaminari heading for the boys' room, who looked like he had recently gotten out the bath himself.

"Yo, Kaminari," she greeted her friend.

"Hm? What's up, Mina?" He turned to face her. "Need something?"

"Just wondering if you know where Izuku is. He's not still bathing, is he?"

"Ah, figures… Nah, he's actually over at the manager office." Mina raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, you know that kid who punched him? For whatever reason, he was sitting on the wall between the two springs. Something made him fall off, though. Luckily Midoriya caught him." Mina noticed he neglected to mention Mineta's peeping attempt. "He went to take the guy to his aunt; he had passed out."

"…Oh." Mina decided not to explain what had caused Kouta to pass out. "Well, I'll go check up on him. Thanks!"

* * *

Izuku stood quietly as he watched Mandalay apply a cold compress to her nephew's head, who had been laid down on a couch. He had rushed here so fast he hadn't even bothered getting changed; he was much too worried about Kouta to care.

His concern only grew as he learned about the boy's past.

It was no wonder the kid didn't think much of heroes, or Quirks in general. To lose one's parents like that at such a young age… Izuku couldn't begin to imagine what that must have felt like. He was so taken aback by the story that he couldn't really think of anything to say.

He wanted to help the him, but he wasn't sure how to do it. How can one be a hero to someone who doesn't believe in heroes?

As he was mulling this over in his head, a familiar voice got his attention.

"Hey Izu? You in here?" He felt his stomach tighten as he realized who it was. "Oh, there… You… Are…"

Turning around, Izuku came face to face with Mina, who had just entered the room. She was currently standing in the doorway, jaw slack as she stared wide-eyed at him. Her eyes darted from his face to his chest a few times as Izuku began to hyperventilate.

He was still in nothing but a towel.

"Uh… Wow."

For the second time that night, Izuku nearly passed out.

* * *

Mina quickly found the building manager office once Kaminari had explained Izuku was there. She knocked at the door, waiting several seconds before knocking again. When nobody came after about 30 seconds, she decided to try the door herself, surprised to find it unlocked. Curious, she entered the building and looked around. Nobody was at the front desk, but she could hear voices coming from the back. Walking forward, she called out.

"Hey Izu?" She rounded the corner. "You in here?" Following the voices, she found herself in the doorway of a back room. A familiar crop of curly green her caught her eye. "Oh, there… You… Are…"

Her voice trailed off as she noticed her boyfriend's current (lack of) attire. For whatever reason, Izuku was still wearing nothing but his towel from the springs. He still even looked a little wet.

Had he just run straight here?

Turning around, the shirtless boy stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. Mina couldn't help but look down, taking in the view that was presented to her.

"Uh… Wow." She voiced her thoughts aloud as she gazed at his lean yet buff physique. She knew he had to have some muscle under there, but this…Those abs, those biceps…

Holy crap, Izuku was _hot._

Suddenly realizing how she must have looked, Mina's entire face turned purple as she did a 180.

"Ohmygoshohmygosh…" She muttered, ashamed at herself for just ogling him like he was eye candy. "I-Izuku, I'm s-so sorry!" Izuku attempted to say something, but none of it was comprehensible. She could only imagine how red he must have been.

"Oooookay!" Mandalay's voice came. "Let's get you some clothes, shall we?" She was trying to diffuse the situation as best she could. Mina heard footsteps as Izuku was ushered away.

While he got dressed, Mina tried to erase the image of what she had just seen from her mind.

"Alright, calm down Mina… Easy…" She told herself, taking a few deep breaths. "It's alright, just act normal…"

She managed to get a hold of herself by the time Izuku came back.

"H-H-Hey…!" He clearly was not over it, however. Plus, unbeknownst to Mina, he was currently trying to fight off some less than decent thoughts off his own.

"Hey." She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Uh… I was just coming to check up on you."

"O-Oh. Um, thanks." Izuku rubbed his arm.

"…How about you two get back to your rooms? It's going to be lights out soon," Mandalay suggested. Agreeing that was a good idea, the two somewhat tense teens left the building.

The walk back was incredibly awkward. Mina could occasionally make small talk, but neither of them got a real conversation going by the time they got back to the main lodge. They stopped in front of the boy's room before turning to each other.

"Well, um… See you tomorrow?" Mina asked, forcing a smile.

"Y-Yeah, right. Tomorrow." The two of them lingered for a moment, each trying everything they could to not think about what had crossed their minds that evening.

Staring at each other for a moment, they suddenly crashed their lips into each other, though it lasted less than 2 seconds before they pulled away.

"…Maybe not tonight," Mina said.

"…Yeah." There had been an odd feeling in that kiss. One neither of them was sure they liked.

"Look, let's just… Let's just try to forget about earlier, ok?" Mina suggested.

"Y-Yeah, o-okay." Again, Mina didn't realize what else was on Izuku's mind, but he decided to try to forget everything at the hot springs too.

"Well, um… Night!" Mina bolted off, worried what might happen if she stayed around any longer. Izuku stood there for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh before heading to his room.

* * *

"Camp hasn't even started and I'm already exhausted…"

Mina splashed some water on her face before gripping the sides of the sink and staring into the mirror. She was currently in the bathroom connected to the girls' side of the lodge, trying to take her mind off everything that had just happened.

She still couldn't believe how attractive Izuku had looked. She had always just found him cute, both in personality and looks. But now…

She splashed more water on herself, feeling her face heating up.

"Damnit, get ahold of yourself, girl!" She yelled at her reflection. "You're better than this."

Mina was certainly the more intimate on in the relationship, but even this was a little much for her.

…Still, Izuku was her boyfriend. It was only natural she'd eventually start thinking this kind of stuff eventually. But it seemed so soon, and she knew how he could get about this kind of stuff. She couldn't be comfortable thinking this kind of stuff if he wasn't.

10 minutes later, Mina finally managed to calm herself. For the moment, any odd thoughts about Izuku were quelled, and she finally felt at ease.

"Alright… Time to hit the hay." She had a feeling she was going to be getting up particularly early tomorrow. "Wait, crap. I forgot to talk to…"

Just as she was about to leave, the bathroom door opened from the other side.

Uraraka was on the other side, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand.

"Oh! Mina!" She seemed surprised at the pink girl's presence. "S-Sorry for just barging in like that!"

"You're good." Stepping over to an adjacent sink, Uraraka began brushing her teeth. Mina watched her as she did, not really doing anything herself. As the brunette finished, she turned to leave.

"Well, I better get to bed! See you in the morn-

"Ochako." Mina rarely called other people by their first name despite being okay with everyone calling her by hers. "Wait."

Stopping in her tracks, Uraraka turned her head slowly.

"…We need to talk."

Uraraka opened her mouth as if to protest, but quickly shut it. She slumped her shoulders.

"I… I know."

* * *

Much like Mina, Izuku had gone straight to his side's restroom in order to calm his nerves. He still couldn't believe he had thought about Mina the way he did; it made him feel dirty. Sure, she was his girlfriend and he did find her attractive, but that didn't mean that kind of thinking was okay.

"Just forget about it," he told himself. Easier said than done, of course.

Feeling relaxed enough to actually get some sleep, Izuku made his way to the bedrooms, finding most of his peers already there.

"Oh, there he is," Sero said as he entered. "How's the kid?"

"He's fine. Mandalay's taking care of him now."

"It is fortunate you acted as quick as you did," Tokoyami noted. "Mineta seems to be alright too."

"Midoriya!" Iida approached his friend, bowing. "I must apologize for my behavior earlier. I now realize you had never actually agreed to assist Mineta with his nefarious scheme." Izuku rubbed the side of his head.

"Uh… I-It's fine, Iida, really." He wasn't in the mood to talk about the incident.

"Even so, it was wrong of me to act the way I did. From what Kirishima explained to me, you and Ashido have too much respect for one another to act so inappropriately, and-

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT RACOON-EYES, ALREADY!?"

Everyone winced as Bakugou, who had been lying down trying to sleep, was now sitting up roaring at his peers. There was silence as he glared at Izuku.

"So Deku's got a bitch now, who the fuck cares? He's still the same worthless loser!" He growled, lying back down. "So shut up about it already, I'm fucking sick of hearing it."

The room remained silent as everyone stared at Bakugou, then Izuku, then back to Bakugou. Kaminari was the first to speak.

"Hey, that-

Kirishima rested a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Dude, not now."

Kirishima was usually the first to call the class's resident hothead out on his crap, but he recognized when the guy was more volatile than normal. In those cases, it was best to just leave him alone.

Izuku remained standing for a moment as everyone quietly got into their beds, not wanting to anger Bakugou further. He stared at his old friend for a moment, wanting to say something to him. However, years of conditioning taught him never to talk back in these situations.

Ignoring the unfamiliar emotion that had briefly stirred inside him just now, Izuku lied down in his bedroll, waiting for sleep to finally take him away from this crazy day.

* * *

Uraraka reluctantly followed Mina outside. Her pink-haired friend led her slightly away from the buildings, right at the edge of the woods surrounding them.

"Alright, this should be good." Mina obviously wanted privacy for this. She turned to face Uraraka, a worried look on her face. "So… Do you know what this is about?" Uraraka sighed, looking at the ground.

"…Yeah." Her voice was quiet. Her usual cheery face was full of gloom. "I just… Look, I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry?" Mina tilted her head a bit. Not exactly what she was expecting to hear.

"Yes. I know… I know I've been avoiding you, and it's really obvious, and you probably think I'm mad or something but, but…" She spoke faster and faster as she went on.

"Ochako." Mina cut her off, prompting the brunette to look up at her. "…Do you like Izuku?" Uraraka went wide-eyed at the sudden question.

"Do I like…" She relaxed slightly, sighing again as she looked away "I… I guess I do." She paused. "I didn't really realize it until just a few days ago."

Mina's heart sank hearing this. She was almost certain this was the cause of Uraraka's behavior, but that didn't make the news any tougher to deal with.

"I see." It was Mina's turn to sigh. "I… I had a feeling."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two girls.

"Look, like I said I… I'm not mad at you. Or… Or him," Uraraka explained. "I mean, y-you're both my friends, right? I sh-should be h-happy for you two." She forced a strained smile. Mina could tell she was holding back tears.

"Should be…" Mina repeated quietly. "Does… Does that mean you're not?"

"I-I… I want to be." Uraraka couldn't hold them back much longer. "B-But whenever I s-start to think about it, I just…" Her eyes squeezed shut as Mina saw the first droplets fall. "I just get so…"

Mina quickly reached forward, pulling her distraught friend into a hug. Uraraka accepted the hug before finally breaking down as she sobbed into her friend's shoulder.

"I-I-I'm s-so s-sorry, M-mina!" The crying girl's muffled voice exclaimed.

"Ssh… It's okay. It's okay."

Mina held her like that for several minutes, letting her take all the time she needed to get her tears out.

To be honest, the pink-haired girl wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't really sure what she _could_ do aside from offer a literal shoulder to cry on. She wanted to help, of course, but something told her Uraraka would have to talk to someone else.

The tears eventually stopped, and the two separated. Uraraka's eyes were red and puffy, and there was little liquid coming from her nose. Mina's shirt was now thoroughly soaked on the upper left side, but she didn't really mind.

"Th-Thank you." Uraraka sniffed as she spoke. "I… I'm sorry about all that."

"It's alright. I just… Did that help at all?" The brunette nodded slowly.

"A little, yeah. I… It's nice to finally talk about this."

"Well I'm glad to hear that. But honestly, I think there's someone else you need to talk to." Mina rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's worried about you, you know."

For the first time, Uraraka smiled. It was small, but genuine.

"Hah… Of course he is." The smile dropped. "But I don't… I don't know."

"It doesn't have to be tonight. Or tomorrow. Or this week even." Mina laughed. "We kinda got enough crap to deal with as is. But at some point…"

"I know, I know." Her friend took a deep breath. "And you're right. I just… I don't know what I'm gonna say."

"Well, take as long as you need to figure it out." Uraraka nodded, then yawned. Mina yawned as well, suddenly becoming aware of how tired she was. "Alright… We should really get to bed. We're gonna be busting our asses tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Yeah, that sounds good." The duo made their way back to the lodge, each a little relieved this talk finally happened.

"Like I said, I'm… I'm sorry I've been avoiding you guys," Uraraka said as they got to the door.

"It's alright. I understand," Mina assured her, smiling. "For what it's worth, I'm… I'm sorry too." Her companion looked at her in confusion for a moment before realizing what she meant.

'…Oh." She looked away again, sighing once more. "Well… Like I said, you guys are still my friends. I can't… I can't bring myself to be mad." She managed another smile as she looked back at Mina. "Just… Just make him happy, okay?" Mina was caught off guard by this for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

"I will," she said with a nod.

They said nothing more as they entered the bedrooms.

* * *

Things are heating up in all sorts of ways. What will come of it all? Find out soon.


	13. Growth

Well, I've had a boatload of time to myself over the past couple days, so here's another chapter.

* * *

The sun was just barely rising over the trees as the first day of training started for the student heroes of U.A. Cries of some mix of pain and determination rang across the forest as the high schoolers pushed their Quirks to the absolute limit. Most of the combined class was working with one of the members of the Wild Pussycats.

Mina, however, wasn't so lucky.

"You do better than that, Ashido. Come on, get serious already!" Aizawa barked at his student as he watched her work. 1-A's homeroom teacher was keeping a close eye on his remedial students, making sure they were putting in 110%.

Mina resisted the urge to talk back at her drill instructor of a teacher as she attempted to increase the output of her acid. It wasn't easy; her muscles were already aching from the constant secretion. Being half-asleep didn't help either, and Aizawa wasn't giving her or any of her fellow flunkies a second to rest.

She tried to focus on the benefits of this hellish training. She would be getting a shot at earning her provisional license some time after this trip was done; the ability to actually use her Quirk in public, at least in some situations. It had been a decision by the school to issue the class these licenses due to the increased villain activity.

It was also why this training was proving to be an absolute nightmare. And it was only day one.

"Stupid camp. Stupid cats. Stupid Aizawa…" She muttered as she continued blasting acid like a hose at the various target that had been set up for her. There was, in her words, a "buttload" of the things, and she needed to melt through all of them in the next 2 hours. If she didn't, there would "severe consequences" according to Aizawa.

Whatever _that_ meant. Not that Mina planned to find out.

Her ears perked up as she heard the Quirk eraser off in the distance, apparently chewing out someone else. Turning her head, she saw he was a good distance away, and his back was to her.

Smirking, she let herself relax. She'd just take a second or two to catch her breath, and…

"Ashido!" The acid wielding girl yelped in surprise at the sound of Aizawa's voice as he was suddenly beside her. "What did I just say?"

"How the heck did… Uuuuugh…" Groaning in frustration, she resumed attacking the targets.

"That sort of behavior is exactly what got you into this situation in the first place," the teacher scolded. "Are you even trying to get better?" Mina grit her teeth, but continued to look ahead at the targets.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doi…" She shut her eyes, inhaling deeply. "Yes, sir." She had learned a long time ago not to sass him.

"You'll get a break in 30 minutes like everyone else. Now stay focused!" She noticed him start to walk off in her peripheral vision. "You know, I heard what Mandalay said to you yesterday. But if you're still acting like this, then her praise was clearly misplaced."

Aizawa waited a few moments to see how she'd react to that. As expected, she locked up for a second before she suddenly began emitting more acid than ever before. Smirking softly to himself, he continued on his way.

Something had changed in Mina since the finals, he could tell that much. He could see deep down she was trying to better herself, but she was fighting bad habits she had likely spent years building up. Breaking those habits wasn't going to be easy, but he was going to make sure she stuck it through.

He turned his attention to another section of the training grounds, where the Wild Pussycat Tiger was in the middle of training a group of his students. Among them was Izuku.

Aizawa wasn't blind or deaf; he knew what was going on. And he was sure that was the reason for Mina's change.

"That kid…" He shook his head. Noticing a dip in Kaminari's performance out of the corner of his eye, he was suddenly gone.

Mina continued spraying acid, ignoring the pain as she squeezed as much out of her arms as possible.

Aizawa's words had cut deep. But she wasn't about to wallow in self-pity about it. Not anymore.

Izuku believed in her. _She_ believed in her. And by the end of this week, Aizawa was going to believe in her.

"Just you wait, Caterpillar Man. Just you wait."

* * *

Bakugou took a long drink from his water bottle as he sat on a stump, letting himself recuperate some of his stamina. He was drenched in sweat and his arms were practically numb from the amount of nitroglycerin they had secreted. Aizawa hadn't been kidding when he said this training was going to be rough.

Still, it was nothing he couldn't handle. He was going to be the best, after all.

Looking around, the blonde observed his classmates. Everyone was on a break for the moment, and a some of the others looked ready to throw in the towel already.

"Psh. Idiots." His eye involuntarily twitched when he saw that one copycat jackass from 1-B that had fucked with him during the Sports Festival.

"Phew. Thanks, Izu."

Bakugou felt his entire body tense up as he heard _her_ voice. His head snapped to the direction he heard it, seeing _them_ together again. He watched _her_ hand _him_ a water bottle she had been drinking out of before kissing his cheek, giggling as his face turned red.

Just looking at it was pissing him off.

It wasn't like Bakugou was jealous or anything. Some of the other guys were lamenting how Izuku had "beat them" to a girlfriend, whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean. Frankly, he couldn't give less of a shit about that sort of thing if he tried.

No, what made him so mad was that he had to keep hearing about it. It was all anyone could talk about yesterday, and it was infuriating; the last thing Bakugou wanted to listen to was everyone around him talking about how "proud" they were of Izuku or whatever.

The hell was there to be proud of? So he'd hooked up with some pink bitch. Why should anyone care? He was still the same worthless runt he'd always been. But everyone seemed to think otherwise just because of _her_.

That was the other thing. Her. Twice now, she'd stuck her nose in shit that didn't concern her. She acted like she knew Izuku better than he did just because she was fucking him or whatever. She thought he was something more than he was, and that pissed Bakugou off to no end.

The only thing worse than trash was someone who actually _liked_ trash. Someone who thought trash was something special, when it was just, well, trash.

Deciding it wasn't worth his time thinking about this anymore, he turned himself around, trying to think about how to best pace himself for the next run of training.

* * *

"Mmm… Gotta say, it really does taste better when you make it yourself," Mina admitted as she took a bite of curry. She and the rest of the class had just finished preparing their dinner for the evening, and were enjoying the fruits of their labor. "Still, I think Iida's overthinking the whole 'training for emergencies' thing… I think those cats are just too lazy to cook for us."

"W-Well, they are letting us stay here on their property. I don't think it's fair to think they have to feed us," Izuku said. He was, of course, seated next to Mina at one of the many picnic tables that had been provided for them, along with Kirishima and Tsuyu.

"If anything, you sound like the lazy one, Mina," Tsuyu added.

"H-Hey! I was just saying… Ugh, forget it." Mina stuck another chunk of curry in her mouth.

"Ugh, my everything hurts…" Kirishima groaned as he ate.

"Yours and everyone else's," Mina pointed out.

"I know, but still… This is some real serious training. I mean, don't me wrong, I love that we're doing it, but man it's rough."

"And you two still haven't had your remedial class yet," Tsuyu noted. Kirishima and Mina both slumped their shoulders at this.

"Ugh, don't remind us," Mina said with a groan. She was exhausted enough as it was, and she knew Aizawa wasn't about to start showing mercy.

"I-I'm sure it won't be that bad," Izuku tried to assure her, putting a hand on hers.

"Yeah, I know… Just feel like whining." She grasped his hand, smiling at the freckled boy. He had a slight blush on his face, but he was maintaining his composure quite well as he smiled back. Mina had to admit she was a little disappointed he wasn't turning into a stuttering, red-faced mess at the slightest sign of affection anymore, but she was happy to see him growing more comfortable. Especially considering they were surrounded by their peers.

They gazed longingly at each other for a bit. They hadn't gotten a lot of time together since they had left for camp, and were starting to cherish these small moments together.

Mina sighed happily as she stared into her boyfriend's eyes. She still couldn't believe she had spent an entire semester more or less ignoring him. He was just so… So many things. Kind. Brave. Smart. Cute.

…Hot.

"So, uh… Do you two want us to leave you alone, or…?" Before she could question why where that last thought had come from, both she and Izuku were roused from their chance by a smirking Kirishima. They both felt their faces warm up as they quickly turned away from each other as their friend snickered.

"They could just into the woods. I'm sure they'd have much more privacy there, ribbit." At this, Izuku finally lost his composure.

"Ts-Tsuyu! Th-That's… We…" He gulped as his eyes darted back to Mina.

"I mean…" The pink girl fidgeted. "Th-That's not a bad idea…" They hadn't gotten some proper alone time for a while, and she was feeling cuddly. Izuku's face turned even redder, though she could see in his eyes he wasn't opposed to the idea.

But before they could decide for sure, Aizawa's voice suddenly rang out.

"Remedials! Time for class. The rest of you, finish up and head back to the lodge."

"…Crap." Mina's face fell, as did Kirishima's. "Well, never mind I guess."

"I-I'll wait up for you, if you want," Izuku offered.

"Don't bother, from what teach was saying we won't be back until it's, like, super late. I don't want you losing sleep over me." She winked. "Not here, anyway."

"O-Oh. Are you sure?" Izuku asked.

"Positive. I'll see you tomorrow, k?" Standing up, she grabbed the side of the face and leaned in for a quick, gentle kiss. While he was getting more used to these kinds of things, surprise kisses still threw him off.

"O-O-Okay… S-See you tomorrow," he stammered as Kirishima laughed. The redhead also got to his feet as the two of them walked over to where Aizawa was, leaving just him and Tsuyu.

"You two are really sweet," the frog girl said, closing her eyes as she gave one of her rare smiles.

"O-Oh, um… Th-Thank you." Izuku tugged at his shirt collar as he turned crimson again. He still wasn't completely used to Tsuyu's direct way of speaking, though he did consider her a good friend. 'I-I just hope he's not too hard on them."

"I'm sure they'll be fine, ribbit. They're both way too stubborn to let Aizawa keep them down."

"Yeah, I know… Oh! Don't tell Mina I said that please!"

"No promises." Tsuyu, in rare form, winked at Izuku as she said this, sticking her tongue out.

Well, at least she was honest.

As the two of them cleaned up their table (Mina and Kirishima had decided to leave their messes behind), Izuku remembered something he had meant to do. Grabbing a spare plate, he scooped up some of the remaining curry.

"Hey, you go on ahead. I gotta take this to someone."

* * *

Mina was starting to worry she was actually going to die of boredom.

She and the rest of the remedial students were currently seated in a classroom-like setting as their homeroom teacher droned on. The lesson had been going on for well over an hour now, though it felt like half a day. Mina's exhaustion was only made things worst; she had nearly nodded off once or twice already.

She struggled to pay attention to Aizawa's lecture on proper hero conduct. She had managed to keep focused during her sessions with Izuku, but that was because they had been a lot more engaging, mostly because it had been one-on-one. Still, she was actually taking notes for once, though they weren't exactly detailed.

Mina felt her eyes droop as Aizawa's words became distant and echoed. Her pen kept moving, however, as her mind began to drift off.

So bored… So tired…

"…Ashido!" The sound of her name caused the sleepy girl to jolt awake. "Is there a problem?" Aizawa had obviously noticed her.

"No, no problem sir," she answered automatically, looking down at the notes she had been writing.

She did a double take when she realized that she hadn't actually been taking notes for the last couple minutes, but subconsciously doodling Izuku with hearts around him.

"As I was saying… More than anything, you all need to reflect on how you conducted yourselves during the exam. And to help with that…" Aizawa walked over to the wall, hitting a button. As he did, a projector screen descended before the students. "We're going to be reviewing some footage."

Mina felt her stomach tighten. She was pretty sure she understood.

"Each of you will be watching over the footage of your exams. I want you all to observe yourselves carefully and figure out what mistakes you all made." The screen lit up as the projector turned on. "We'll be starting with Ashido and Kaminari. The rest of you will wait outside."

Mina gulped. Her grogginess had been replaced with anxiety as she tried to prepare herself. She flipped to a new page of her notebook, readying her pen as she stared intently at the screen.

The footage was painful, to say the least. Mina winced a few times as she watched her and Kaminari run around like headless chickens, scared out of their minds; she looked like a complete amateur.

But she never took her eyes off the screen, and her pen never stopped moving.

Aizawa played the footage twice before moving over to his blackboard.

"Alright. Now, can one of you tell me what your first crucial mistake was?"

"The mistake was putting us up against principal Nezu! Seriously, that crazy furball didn't even give us a chance!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"And do you think a real villain would act different?" Aizawa asked in a stern voice. "Do you think they'll hold back just because you're a student? You aren't given chances in a real fight; you have to take them." His gaze turned to Mina. "Well, how about you, Ashido?" Mina thought for a moment, looking over her notes.

"Our first mistake? Um… Well, I guess it was probably the fact that we just kinda walked in there thinking it'd be no problem. Like… We didn't even consider Nezu a threat just because of how he looked." Looking back, Mina had no idea what she had been thinking; the guy was principal of U.A. for a reason.

"Hm. Very good." Aizawa nodded. "As heroes, you can't afford not to take a threat seriously, no matter how insignificant it may seem at first. Overconfidence has ended many professional careers."

"I mean, if we had known what his Quirk was…" Kaminari muttered.

"Well… Maybe the fact that we didn't know should have had us more worried, not less," Mina mused.

"Exactly. An unknown threat is almost always more dangerous than a known one. And remember, heroes commonly find themselves in situations where the villain has the advantage in that regard."

"Gah… I guess that makes sense," Kaminari accepted.

"I think the last big thing is the fact that we panicked almost immediately," Mina continued. "Like, we didn't even try to think of a counter-strategy… Besides running and hiding."

"Well what were we supposed to do?" Kaminari asked. "We didn't have a lot of options.

"That doesn't make what she said any less correct. The moment you lose your composure in a battle, you've lost," Aizawa explained. "It's alright to be scared, but you can't let that fear control you. Even in a moment of hesitation can mean the difference between life and death." The Quirk eraser let his words sink in for a moment. "That's about everything. I want you two to think on all of this as you continue with your training." With that, he had them exit the room before letting Kirishima and Sato in.

"Jeez, that was rough to sit through," Kaminari said as they waited. "But damn, it was like you had those answers prepared or something. What was that?" Mina shrugged.

"Guess it's not the first time I've thought about it is all."

It was true; she had spent a few nights replaying the events of that exam in her mind, thinking about what it was she could have differently. Knowing she had come to the conclusions Aizawa had wanted her to was a pretty nice feeling.

Plus, he had some pretty useful insight. As much as Mina didn't want to admit it, he _was_ a pretty good teacher. At least, when he wanted to be.

Mina managed to get through the rest of the night without any other incidents; discussing her failure in detail like that had really helped her regain her focus. Of course, she was still beyond exhausted by the time the class let out. She couldn't believe how much later than the others her group was going to bed.

Collapsing onto her bedroll when she got back to the lodge, the pink-haired girl was asleep in seconds.

* * *

The next day went more or less the same as the previous one, though the students had a slightly tougher time during training due to still being sore from the previous day. This was especially true for the remedials, who hadn't even gotten the chance to get a proper 8 hours in. Still, they and the rest of the combined class kept at it as best as they could.

As evening came, Mina and Izuku decided to act sooner on the idea they had the night before, and had went off to find a spot to get some alone time as soon as they finished eating, before Mina's next class started. They were currently sitting together under a tree, snuggling each other in their usual way.

"I missed this," Mina said as nuzzled her boyfriend's cheek. Having no chance to be alone with Izuku the past few days had been a little tough for her to deal with after spending nearly a whole week with him.

"Me too." Izuku returned her gesture. It hadn't been easier for him, either. But at the same time, it only made this brief time they had together feel that much better.

He had actually tried to wait up for her last night, despite what she had told him. Of course, he didn't manage to last the entire 4 hours before passing out. He felt a little guilty about it, though when he told Mina about it the following morning she had reprimanded him, once again insisting he just go to sleep. However, she did say she appreciated the gesture.

The two said nothing for a while, both choosing enjoying the quiet together. Mina felt Izuku shift his body slightly as he turned his head to kiss her cheek. Smirking, she quickly turned her head so he caught her lips instead.

"Mmph!" Caught off guard by the gesture, the green-haired boy pulled back, cheeks turning rosy. "M-Mina…!"

"What?" She feigned innocence as she looked at him.

"I… You…" He just sighed, then smiled. Mina returned the smile before their lips met once again, holding together this time. Izuku felt that electrifying feeling return as he savored the kiss, eyes slowly closing as it continued.

He felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment as he felt Mina's hand rest on his torso.

Mina was half-conscious of what she was doing. As her palm rested on his shirt, her lips curled into a smile as she barely felt the firm abdominal muscles just underneath.

"Mmm…"

For whatever reason, the low, soft sound that escaped her lips suddenly made a certain image reappear in Izuku's mind.

Simultaneously realizing where their minds were going, both quickly separated, faces glowing.

"Oh… Um… S-Sorry about that, I…" Mina laughed nervously.

"I-It's okay," Izuku quickly answered. Neither of them were looking at each other. His girlfriend cleared her throat.

"Er… Maybe we should head back? Aizawa's probably gonna come by any minute."

"Y-Yeah, o-okay." The air was tense as they got up. They were relatively quiet for the short walk back.

Izuku mentally slapped himself. Where had that come from? He thought he had buried those thoughts.

But there was something about that sound Mina made, that feeling of her hand on his body like that… They had made him feel _something_ , and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it.

The Quirk inheritor quickly shook his head. What was he doing? He shouldn't think that kind of stuff!

He forced himself to think about something else as he and Mina returned to the others.

* * *

Mina grit her teeth as she fought through the pain coursing through her. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her top stop and rest, but she ignored the temptation as best she could.

It was the third day of training, and the work hadn't gotten any easier. Aizawa had specifically said her training was primarily for endurance, as she needed to increase how long she could secrete her acid. Because of that, her exercises were particularly long, with shorter breaks than most in between.

Her entire body was soaked in some combination of sweat and residue from her Quirk. She had actually thrown off her shoes and rolled up her pant legs in order to pump acid from somewhere other than her hands and arms. Ideally, she'd just be secreting it from her entire body, but she didn't plan on training in the nude.

She could tell she was quickly approaching her limit; she was straining herself to get the tiniest amount of acid out, like trying to get the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube. Taking a breath, she tensed every muscle in her body one last time.

"Nng… Come on… Aah!" Suddenly feeling lightheaded, the overworked student fell to the ground on her hands and knees, panting heavily. She felt like she was going to vomit, though she questioned if there anything to actually throw up at this point.

She realized how she must have looked. She knew Aizawa would be on her any second.

"Come on, get up Mina…" She mumbled, limbs quivering as she tried to get to her feet. "Gotta keep… Going…"

"Alright, that's enough."

Suddenly feeling much lighter, Mina realized someone had grabbed her arm and was helping her up. Looking up, she saw none other than her drill sergeant of a teacher standing before her.

In his hand was a large bottle of water. To her surprise, he offered it to her.

"You're clearly passed your limit. Go take a quick break." Mina barely heard him as she greedily snatched the bottle from his hand before she began guzzling it down.

She'd never thought water could taste so good.

She drank a little too much for her own good as she suddenly started coughing, doubling over.

"Hey, careful. Don't drink so fast," her teacher lectured as she slowly recovered. Giving her a few seconds to catch her breath, he spoke again. "Take an extra 5 minutes this time. No point in this training if you don't give your body time to recover." His student looked up at him.

"R…Really?" It wasn't much, but in that moment 5 minutes was a huge deal to her.

"Yes, really. Besides, I'd say you've earned it."

Mina's eyes widened.

"Wait… What?" Did she just hear him correctly? Was that… Praise?

"You've clearly demonstrated both your desire and will to improve. I can tell you've spent a good deal of time reflecting on your past mistakes and learning from them." He paused. "Perhaps Mandalay wasn't mistaken after all."

Mina couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had imagined this moment several times over the past couple days, but she was still completely caught off guard. She had envisioned herself wildly celebrating, or smugly telling Aizawa "told you so". She did neither of these things, though. Instead, she just quietly spoke.

"Th…Thank you, sir."

"Don't think this means you get to relax. If anything, I expect you to work even harder from here on out. Understand?" Mina looked at him for a moment before flashing a confident smile.

"Yes, sir!" She gave an enthusiastic nod. No back-talk, no exaggerated reactions, just an acceptance of the challenges to come.

Aizawa gave the smallest hint of a smile. She definitely had grown.

But like everyone else, she still had a long way to go.

* * *

Well, this ended up being another short one I'm afraid. Very Mina-centric too, but that's never a bad thing.

A lot of you are probably aware I've added time to the camp arc at this point. This is mostly because I felt everything I'm trying to cover happening in, like a day and a half would be a little unrealistic. Stretching it out over a few extra days makes it feel more organic in my mind.


	14. Passion

Heads up: Things are going to get a little steamy this chapter.

* * *

Izuku yawned as he made his way back to the lodge, his body begging for rest. He'd completed another day of training, and with dinner done he was ready for bed. Mina had gone off to her class for the night, and he was currently chatting with his usual group of friends as they walked.

Including Uraraka.

Much to Izuku's surprise, she had started conversing with him earlier in the evening. Ever since the day at the theatre when he told her and his other friends about his relationship, she been acting distant and rarely spoke to him. The past few days she had sometimes been part of the same group as him during a conversation, but she rarely if ever spoke directly to him. Tonight was different, though.

Izuku was relieved, of course; he had begun to suspect his friend was upset with him about something, or that something in her private life was stressing her out. He would have tried to approach her sooner, but the training had made that difficult.

As the group reached the point where the boys and girls had to part ways, Iida and Todoroki said their goodbyes to Uraraka before heading off. Izuku did the same, though as he was leaving he heard her call out to him.

"Hey, um, Deku?" Stopping, Izuku turned. "Can I, uh, can I talk to you for a sec?" A little confused as to why she wanted to talk now, he nodded.

"Um, yeah. Sure." He noticed she was fidgeting slightly, and looked a little nervous. "Uh, i-is everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" Uraraka sighed, leaning against a tree slightly as she looked at the ground. "Look, um… I'm sorry about the past week or so." Izuku's eyes widening slightly as her words caught him by surprise.

"Wh-What? Sorry? For… For what?"

"For just… Kinda disappearing, I guess. I know we haven't spoken since that day we went to the movies together, and… And I feel bad." The brunette looked up at her green-haired friend. "And please don't say 'it's okay' or anything like that. It's not." Izuku shut his mouth, about to utter something along those lines. "I… I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not mad at you or anything."

"W-Well, um… Is everything okay? Y-You still seemed bothered by something." He was happy to know it wasn't him, but he was obviously still worried about her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I, uh, I was dealing with some… Personal stuff, that's all." She was silent for a moment, almost looking like she wanted to say something else.

"O-Oh."

"But that's all set now. I, uh, I had a talk with someone and I think I got it all sorted out." Another pause. "Mostly." She was being oddly vague. Izuku wanted to ask more, but something told him she was leaving out details for a reason. "I… I'm still trying to figure stuff out but… I just wanted to at least say sorry." She smiled. "I don't want you to worry about me, okay? After all, we're… Friends." Izuku couldn't help but notice her lip slightly quiver just before that last word.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Izuku had more than a few questions. What was she dealing with? Who was she talking to? What was she still "figuring out"?

He had theories about each of those questions. And he could tell there was clearly… Something Uraraka still wanted to tell him. Wanted to, but wouldn't.

Stepping back and thinking about it, Izuku had a feeling he might know what it was.

He swallowed some saliva as a strange mix of feelings washed over him. Joy, sorrow, embarrassment…

Guilt.

"…Uraraka…" He reached out an arm.

"Deku, please." The girl took a step back as she spoke, recoiling slightly. "I…" She inhaled deeply. "Like I said, I don't want you worrying about me. Okay?" Izuku was silent for a moment, but eventually nodded.

"…Yeah. Okay."

Perhaps some things were better left unsaid.

"Good. Then I'll… I'll see you tomorrow." Saying goodbye, Uraraka turned and left. Izuku could've sworn he saw a glint in her eye as she did.

He stood still for long while, thinking to himself. All the time he'd spent with the brunette, the bond they shared. There was a point Izuku thought that, just maybe, something more would come of it, but over time that feeling faded. Uraraka was a good friend; he'd go as far as to say his closest friend.

But… In the end, his heart belonged to another.

Sighing, not entirely sure how to feel about all this, he started walking to his room. Still deep in thought, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.

He abruptly stopped as he bumped into something. Shaken from his thoughts, he stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Ah!"

"Hey, watch it you goddamn…" The "something" turned, scowling as it did. Bakugou growled slightly as he realized just who it was that had collided with him before turning back around.

"S-Sorry, Kacchan, I-

"Quit fantasizing about Racoon Eyes and watch where the fuck you're going, dipshit." The irate student kept walking.

Izuku froze. For whatever reason, Bakugou had been acting even more hostile to him than usual ever since they had arrived at camp. He figured it could have been due to stress from all the training, so it didn't surprise him that much.

What did surprise him was how he had been reacting to Bakugou's aggression. After years and years of torment, Izuku had more or less grown used to his former friend's insults. He stopped letting it bother him as much as it used to, especially since he actually had a Quirk of his own now. So he'd let Bakugou say what he wanted, knowing arguing would just make things worse.

The past couple days were different, though. Every so often, Izuku would feel… Something inside him stir. A little voice shouting "you don't have to take that" in his head. He had nearly spoken up once or twice, but years of conditioning quickly took over before he could, and he kept his mouth shut.

But something about hearing him talk about Mina like that, like he did the first night…

"…Mina."

Stopping in his tracks, Bakugou turned his head just enough to look at Izuku.

"What was that?" Hands clenching into fists, Izuku's head shot up as he looked directly into the explosive student's eyes.

"Her name is Mina Ashido, Kacchan," he said in a calm yet firm voice. There was the faintest hint of anger on his face. "Not Raccoon Eyes."

The two boys stared each other down for a moment. Bakugou expected Izuku to eventually falter and return to his normal self, but it didn't happen. Scowling, he raised a particular finger in Izuku's direction before continuing on his way.

Surprised by himself, Izuku blinked a few times as he realized what he'd just done. Deciding it would be best to distance himself from the hotheaded blonde, he waited a few minutes longer before heading back to the lodge, now with even more on his mind.

* * *

"Phew… It's just not getting easier, is it?" Mina asked rhetorically as she sat down under a tree next to Izuku. They were in the middle of another day of training, and had just been given a 15 minutes break. The two of them were worn out as usual, although Mina seemed a bit peppier than the last few days; ever since she received some actual encouragement from Aizawa, the pink girl's morale had increased quite a bit. She was still tired, of course, but she wore a smile nonetheless.

The smile faded when he noticed that Izuku looked unusually rough this morning. He was slumped forward, his hair a bit messier than normal (though nobody but Mina would be able to notice that), and he just looked more… Drained.

"Hey Izu?" She rested a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Hm?" He looked at her as if he hadn't heard her for a moment. "Oh, um, sorry. Yeah, I'm alright." Mina wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just… Tired. Had a little trouble sleeping, that's all." He paused. "Um… Question."

"Hm?"

"Did you… Did you talk to Uraraka recently?" Mina's eyes widened a bit, then returned to normal. "…You did, didn't you?" Izuku asked. His girlfriend sighed.

"Yes. The first night we got here." She thought for a second. "Did she talk to you last night?" Izuku nodded. "Ah. I see." Another paused. "Er… Do you mind if I ask what she talked to you about?"

"She, um, just wanted to apologize. And, um…" He rubbed his arm, looking down a bit. "She, uh, kinda said some stuff… Without saying it. You know?"

"…Yeah, I do."

They were both looking at the ground now as a heavy silence fell over both of them.

"It was, uh… A lot to think about, I guess." Izuku ended up speaking first. "But… I think I've come to terms with it. Still, it's… Tough knowing that. I… I just don't want her feeling hurt." Mina simply nodded, looking back at him. "Plus on top of that…" She saw him look past her suddenly. She turned her head to follow his gaze, realizing he was staring at Bakugou, who was sitting on a nearby stump that had sort of become his personal rest spot. Looking back at Izuku, the horned girl's eyes suddenly flashed with anger.

"…Did something happen between you and Bakugou?" There was an edge to her voice now. Her explosive classmate had been particularly irritable at camp, and she had actually butted heads with him a couple times. It was nothing major, usually just an exchange of glares, scowls, or middle fingers. Bakugou seemed to particularly dislike Mina at this point, likely due to their less-than-friendly encounter at the grocery store last week. Of course, Mina felt the same way about him.

"Oh, um… No. Not exactly." He almost sounded nervous. "I mean, nothing out of the ordinary…" Mina sighed loudly.

She adored Izuku for his kindness, but this was one situation she wished he would actually get upset. Knowing at least a little bit about how Bakugou had treated him in the past combined with he acted now, she couldn't understand how her boyfriend could tolerate the guy the way he did. He had every reason to hate Bakugou, yet he almost treated him like a friend. He even called him by some odd nickname.

She couldn't stand it. There had to be a reason.

"…Izuku," she said quietly. "Why do you let him say that awful stuff?" She asked, looking directly in his eyes. "After everything you've gone through, how can you act like he's done nothing wrong?"

Izuku was silent as he thought about what to say. He couldn't answer that without explaining his long and confusing history with Bakugou, something he didn't like to do. Again, he hadn't told anyone at U.A. about it for a number of reasons.

But he couldn't stand keeping things from Mina.

"Kacchan and I, we… Believe it or not, we used to be friends."

Mina was quiet as Izuku began to recount his past friendship. He talked about their time together as kids, how much they both looked up to All Might, how excited they were to become heroes. The good times, before Bakugou got his Quirk.

He talked about the point when Bakugou began to change. How a rift between the two of them began to form as time went on and Izuku didn't develop his Quirk. How everyone began to admire him for his amazing Quirk, and how that warped his personality.

He could have stopped there, but for whatever reason he felt the need to keep going. Mina was clutching his hand as he told her about the years that followed, and how his closest friend became his worst nightmare. The insults, the beatings, the constant reminders that he was Quirkless and would never be a hero… It was painful to recall, but the more Izuku talked the easier it got. He even mentioned the time Bakugou suggested he jump off a building, a particularly hurtful memory. By the end of it all, a few tears had fallen.

When Izuku was finally quiet, Mina spoke.

"…So after all that…" Her voice was shaky as she spoke, her knuckles bone-white as she clenched the boy's hand. "You still… Still think of him as your friend?" She was staring straight ahead, her face full of a pain, sorrow, and anger.

Whatever fleeting admiration she had left for Bakugou was gone. She had thought Izuku's words would help her understand why he was so accepting of the blonde's actions. They had done the exact opposite.

Bakugou was an absolute monster.

That he could treat his oldest friend like that – Treat _anyone_ like that – And still think of himself as a hero was disgusting. The fact that after all this time, after everything Izuku had accomplished, he could still act that way was… Mina couldn't even fathom it. Not once had he ever shown even a hint of remorse, as far as se could tell.

"How…?"

She turned to look at Izuku.

"How can you still think that!?" She cried, causing the boy to flinch. Anger was quickly overtaking the rest of her feelings. Izuku didn't respond, unable to meet her gaze. "Well, you might be okay with it, but I'm not, Izuku!"

She was suddenly on her feet, stomping over to the blonde that had caused her boyfriend so much grief. She was halfway to him before Izuku realized what was happening.

"M-Mina, wait!" She didn't slow down, of course. Izuku leapt to his feet, panicking. This was _not_ going to end well.

"Hey asshole!"

Bakugou turned towards the sound to see one very angry pink-skinned girl standing over him.

"The hell do you-

"What is _wrong_ with you!?" Mina cried, cutting him off. "How the hell do you sleep at night knowing everything you've done!?" She was positively fuming. Bakugou matched her glare, confused but annoyed all the same.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He really wasn't in the mood for this bullshit right now.

"Mina, please don't…" A meek voice came as Izuku caught up to her, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Not listening to him, Mina suddenly grabbed Bakugou by the shirt. "Everything you've done to Izuku… Just… How? How can you go on like nothing's wrong knowing how _awful_ you are!?" She exclaimed.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Bakugou roared, shoving her away as he sprang to his feet. His hands sparked a couple times as he leered over her. "Why should I give a shit about someone like him, huh!?"

"YOU WERE HIS BEST FRIEND!" Mina screamed back, not letting his display intimidate her. At this point, their shouting had gotten the attention of some of the nearby students. "He looked up to you, and what do you do? You beat him, you abuse him, you… You tell him to _kill himself_!" Izuku was desperately trying to intervene, but his voice was simply drowned out by the two. Bakugou suddenly turned his attention to the quiet boy.

"What the fuck did you tell her, Deku!?"

" _Stop calling him that!"_ she hissed. "How the _fuck_ can you think of yourself as a hero after everything you've done!?" This caused the blonde's attention to return to Mina.

"What was that?" His eye twitched.

"Someone like you could _never_ be a hero!" This seemed to strike a nerve with Bakugou.

"THE FUCK'D YOU SAY, YOU PINK BITCH!?" He bellowed. "YOU THINK YOUR FLUNKIE ASS HAS ANY ROOM TO TALK!?" Hearing her of all people saying that sort of thing pushed Bakugou over the edge. Who the fuck did she think she was?

He finally managed to break Mina's guard with this as she struggled to retort.

"You're the one wasting all her time doing fuck-all. Don't act like you know what the fuck makes a hero." Deciding he'd had enough, he turned to leave. Mina opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to form a coherent thought through all of her anger. Some of their classmates had been drawn to the scene, and were murmuring amongst themselves.

Suddenly, a single voice called out.

"Apologize, Kacchan."

Bakugou froze in place. The crowd was silent. Mina, shocked at what she just heard, turned.

Izuku stood tall, a fierce look in his eyes as he glared at his childhood friend. And he sounded… Mina had never heard him speak in that sort of tone before.

"What?" Bakugou turned, remembering their conversation last night. He scowled, walking up to Izuku. "What was that?"

Izuku had watched the argument in a panic, unsure of what to do. He was scared; he didn't like seeing Mina so upset. He had tried as hard as he could to get them to stop, but to no avail.

The second Bakugou started insulting her, though, something in his mind clicked.

He had put up with the taller boy's put-downs for years. He had endured everything that had been thrown at him. There was nothing Bakugou could do to him or say about him that would upset him at this point.

But seeing him treat Mina like that sparked something inside him. This girl who had given her heart to him, made him feel so much joy… He couldn't stand to see someone talk to her like that.

He now understood how she had felt.

"I said, apologize," he repeated, unshaken by Bakugou's threatening display as he bore down on the green-haired boy. "I don't want you talking to Mina like that." There were whispers among the crowd. Izuku _never_ talked to Bakugou like this, or anyone for that matter.

Mina was conflicted. She was happy to see him standing up to Bakugou, but at the same time his demeanor was… Unnatural. Izuku didn't get angry.

Bakugou blinked a few times, both amazed and enraged that Izuku was talking to him like this.

"The fuck? You don't want me to _what_?" He laughed once. "And what the fuck are you gonna do about it, huh?" Izuku's hands started trembling as he clenched them into fists, but Bakugou either didn't notice or didn't care. "I'll say whatever the fuck I want to her!" He knew Izuku. He would sometimes puff his chest a bit, but any resistance and he was back to his normal worthless self. All talk.

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as he felt something bubbling up as the blonde kept speaking.

"Someone needs to tell that bitch-

"SHUT UP!"

A small *crack* rang out as Izuku's fist suddenly collided with Bakugou's face.

A collective gasp rang out from the crowd of onlookers. Mina's eyes widened as she out a hand over her mouth, too stunned by what she just saw to say anything.

Bakugou was sent reeling back, clutching his nose as he tripped over the stump he had been sitting on. Izuku's arm remained outstretched, his hand still a fist. There was the faintest trace of blood on his knuckles.

There was complete silence. Bakugou slowly sat up, still clutching his nose as blood poured from it. He stared at Izuku in complete and utter shock.

Izuku stared at his fist as he fully understood what he had just done. He looked at Bakugou, mouth agape. There was a mixture of fear and regret in his eyes.

"K…Kacchan, I…"

The bloodied boy's face changed. In an instant, his surprise was replaced with the most intense anger Izuku had ever seen.

"… **DEEEEEKUUUUUUU**!" He roared, explosions blasting from his palms as he rocketed to his feet. " **YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD**!" Kirishima and Kaminari, who had approached Bakugou, attempted to restrain him, but were too slow. The explosion user charged at his attacker, letting out a war cry as he readied a punch. Izuku was too stunned by his actions to defend himself. Mina prepared to intervene, still in disbelief at what her boyfriend had just done.

Just before he landed a hit, though, Bakugou suddenly found himself ensnared by some sort of cloth. He tried to force his way out, but he couldn't seem to generate any explosions.

Behind him, Mr. Aizawa stood menacingly, eyes firmly locked onto the boy as his capture weapon held firm.

"Everyone, get back to training." The group lingered for a few seconds. " _Now."_

The crowd split in all directions as the students obeyed, not wanting to incur the Quirk eraser's wrath. Kirishima stayed behind for a second, looking back and forth at Izuku and Bakugou before he left as well.

The captured student flailed on the ground as he struggled against the material binding him. His mouth was covered, so the only sounds he could make were muffled cries of rage. Mina grabbed Izuku's hand.

"Come on, Izu, let's-

"Hold it." Mina stopped, mentally cursing as Aizawa's voice called out to her. "You two are coming with me." He kept his eyes on Bakugou as he spoke, his voice calm but authoritative.

"Y-Yes, sir." Both Izuku and Mina said simultaneously.

* * *

Izuku and Mina were silent as they sat down on the couch. They had been instructed to follow their homeroom teacher to the manager's office, with not a word spoken the whole way there. Bakugou was not with them; Aizawa had handed him off to Pixie Bob, telling her to keep his student "occupied" until he returned.

While Mina knew she was in trouble, she was much more worried about Izuku. She was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he had actually just… Punched Bakugou like that. She still didn't know how to feel about it. While part of her was happy to see Izuku finally stand up to him, that was not the sort of thing she had wanted. Oh sure, Bakugou deserved it, but seeing Izuku just lose it like that was… Kind of scary. It just wasn't him.

Looking at him, she could only imagine what he was feeling right now. He was leaned forward slightly, eyes vacant as he stared at the floor. He occasionally looked at his right hand, as if he still wasn't sure if he had really done what he had done.

Aizawa sat down in a chair across from them, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Alright," he said after a moment. "One of you want to try explaining to me what I just saw?"

"It was my fault." Mina spoke before Izuku had the chance. "I… I was the one who started the argument." Of course, she didn't think she was in the wrong doing so, but her instinct right now was to take as much heat off of Izuku as possible. "But, but sir, Bakugou is-

"I'm well aware that Bakugou is not blameless here." On some level, Aizawa could understand both Mina and Izuku's actions. Of course, they didn't make them acceptable. "I will be talking with him at length about it after this. But the fact of the matter is this: Ashido, you instigated a confrontation with another student, one you knew has a particularly short temper. And Midoriya, you…" He sighed. "You acted out with violence against another student." Izuku finally seemed to react to this.

"I…" His voice was meek. "I'm… I'm so sorry." He was shaking slightly as he spoke. "I-I don't know what happened, I just…" Mina could see the tears begin to fall. "I just… Oh god!" He sobbed, covering his hands with his face as his whole body quaked. Mina rest a hand on his back as he cried. Aizawa shut his eyes, giving Izuku a moment.

"Alright, that's enough," he said after a few minutes. His student slowly calmed down, looking up at his teacher. "I could go on lecturing about how what you did was wrong, but you seem to be well aware of that fact." He paused, looking at both of them. "Instead, I want to talk about the cause of all of this." Mina spoke up.

"The cause?" Her face hardened as she started to stand up. "You mean the fact that Bakugou is a complete piece of sh-

"Ashido!" The pink girl froze as the pro hero raised his voice, glaring at her. She sat back down, shutting up.

"…Sorry, sir."

"I understand you two are in a relationship now," Aizawa continued. "And while there's technically nothing wrong with that, there are some things the two of you need to think about." While the Quirk eraser personally felt student relationships at a place as demanding as U.A. were a bad idea, he wasn't going to demand they stop. "Hero work is dangerous. It requires one's full attention and constant focus. Even a moment's distraction can mean the difference between life and death, whether it be your life or someone else's."

He had both of his students' full attention now.

"This situation happened because you each let your feelings for one another control your actions. That's a mistake you cannot afford to make in this line of work." He paused. "In a crisis situation, losing your heads like that could lead to dire consequences for you and others. Do you understand that?"

The two teens nodded wordlessly.

"Good. And to emphasize that point… Midoriya, you'll be joining the remedial classes for the rest of the week." Izuku's eyes widened. "Furthermore, each of you will be staying after each night for an additional 30 minutes of work." Both students' faces turned slightly pale. The remedials weren't getting enough sleep as it was.

"Wh-What!?" Mina shouted. "You can't… That's…" She stopped as Aizawa gave her another hard stare. "…Yes, sir." Izuku repeated this.

"That's what I want to hear. Now, let's get back to the training course." Standing up, Aizawa led the two, now looking significantly more upset, out of the office. "Come on, quit dragging your feet."

* * *

The rest of the day passed by quickly. After returning to the others, Aizawa went off to speak with Bakugou in private, leaving Mandalay to watch over the remedials. Mina and Izuku didn't get any harsher training that day or anything, but something told them that was going to change starting tomorrow.

The two of them ate dinner in relative silence. The atmosphere was incredibly tense that evening; everyone kept a good distance from the two of them, particularly Izuku. He occasionally heard whispers mentioning his name, but he chose to ignore them.

He was frustrated, to say the least. At Bakugou, at Aizawa, but mostly at himself. His teacher's words given him a lot to think about. Plus, the training combined with his lack of sleep wasn't helping his mood. Mina looked equally upset. Fortunately for the two of them, Bakugou wasn't around; some of the students surmised he was receiving some private lessons about his conduct.

Izuku had never felt this way before. He hated it.

He put his utensils down as he finished his dinner. The second he did, he felt Mina's hand grab his.

"You done?" She sounded hurried and agitated. He looked at her and nodded. "Good. Come with me." She stood, pulling on his arm. He didn't resist, getting up and following as she quickly left the clearing. He was a little nervous about what she was planning, but he also was happy to be away from the rest of the class.

Plus, with how he was feeling, some private time with Mina was exactly what he needed.

Deciding they had gotten far enough away from the others, Mina stopped by a tree, turning around. She was still holding his hand.

"Sorry about the rush, I just…" She sighed. "I just wanted to be alone for a bit." They had about 10 minutes before class started. "…Man, what a shitty day." Izuku quietly agreed. "I… I'm sorry I got us in so much trouble, I just… Bakugou, he…" He saw her eyes start to water.

"Sshh…" He reached out, embracing her. She returned the hug, sobbing softly into his shoulder. "It's alright. Let's just… Let's just try to forget about it, okay?" He just wanted things back to normal.

"…Okay." They pulled away from each other, staring at one another. Without warning, Mina grabbed Izuku's face and pulled him in for a kiss. The action caught him off guard, causing his face to heat up slightly, but he quickly eased into it, putting his hands on her shoulders as he kissed back. The sensation of their lips against one another's made them each feel just a little bit better.

Hoping to increase that feeling, Mina pressed herself against Izuku a little as she began to deepen the kiss. Izuku tensed up for a moment before responding in kind. Mina began stroking his head with her hands, her lips curling into a smile. More of her grief and frustration was drowned out by the pure bliss that washing over her.

Izuku gasped as he felt something Mina's tongue enter his mouth, his whole body freezing up. His eyes shot open as he stared wide-eyed at Mina, who was staring back.

He should stop this. He should pull away right now.

But… It felt so good.

His eyes closed as muscles relaxed, the voice screaming at him to stop slowly fading away.

Finally giving into the temptations he'd been experiencing all week, Izuku resumed. He made a soft moan, pleasure numbing his pain as Mina's tongue explored his mouth. He wrestled it for a moment with his own, savoring the taste. Feeling invigorated, he suddenly pushed up against her, pinning her against a tree.

They continued to make out, their hands exploring each other's bodies a bit. They had completely given into their lust for one another by this point; their kissing was rough and sloppy, and their brains weren't really in control of their bodies any more. All the troubles from that day were washed away by the flood of sheer desire for one another.

Izuku had never felt anything like this. All of his inhibitions were gone, his id having taken complete control of his psyche. Every sensation he was experiencing was Mina.

His hands, rubbing the sides of her waist, began traveling up her torso. The rested on her breasts.

He needed more of it. More of _her_.

"Aaaah!" Mina cried out in pleasure as he did, her back arching somewhat as Izuku squeezed.

It was this sound that brought both of them back to reality. Their lips separated as they gawked at each other in shock. Izuku looked down, seeing where his hands still were.

He screamed.

Leaping back, he tripped over himself and fell on his rear. Mina collapsed against the tree, clutching her chest with one hand. They both were gasping for breath, their faces burning hot as they continued to stare at each other in disbelief.

Izuku felt sick.

What had they just done? What had _he_ just done!?

"Izuku, I…" Mina tried to break the silence, unsure of what to say. What the hell just happened?

Izuku looked down at his hands, feeling absolutely disgusted with himself. What was _wrong_ with him?

"Izuku?" He looked up, seeing Mina getting up and walking towards him. He started to panic.

He couldn't face her. Not after what he had just done.

Without thinking, he sprung to his feet and ran. He didn't know where he was running, but he didn't care.

"Izu!" He heard her call after him, but he didn't stop. Tears were streaming down his face as he ran. "Wait! Izu!"

* * *

Aizawa looked around as he did a head count.

"…Where are Ashido and Midoriya?" He asked.

"I think I saw them wander off like, 15 minutes ago," Kaminari answered. "Figured they'd be back; they've done it before…" Aizawa let out an annoyed sigh. He turned to the Wild Pussycats.

"When they get back, please escort them to their class." He was going to have to come up with something else for them now. "The rest of you, come with me."

Ignoring the complaints about not getting to participate in the "Test of Courage", Aizawa dragged the remedials along to class. He'd deal with the other two soon enough.

* * *

Mina stopped to catch her breath, hands on her knees as she gasped for air. She had tried going after Izuku, but had completely lost track of him.

Her mind was still reeling from their little session together. What had possessed her to do that? She knew she was stressed, but still.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, she decided to focus on the task at hand.

"Izu!" She called out again, hoping he was nearby and had calmed down. She was completely lost at this point, of course. Checking her phone, she realized what time it was. "Shit, Aizawa is going _kill_ us… Izu!"

The smell of smoke suddenly filled her nostrils.

"Huh?" She looked around, noticing the source of the odor in the distance. "What the heck…?"

She leapt in surprise as a voice in her head started talking.

" **Everyone who can, get back the facility as fast as possible! If you encounter a villain on the way, do not engage under any circumstances! We're under attack! Two villains, with a possibility of more!** "

All color left Mina's face. Villains? Here? How!? They had specifically gone here to be safe from a possible attack.

"Well well…"

An unfamiliar voice made the terrified girl's blood run cold. Turning her head, her eyes widened as she found herself staring at a horrifying sight. A tall, lithe man with black spiky hair stood before her. He wore a dark open jacket with a white shirt underneath. What frightened Mina were what appeared to be stitched-on patches of purple wrinkly skin that covered his arms, neck, and the lower half of his face.

The villain smirked.

"...Look who we have here."

* * *

And we move on to the League attack. The story likely won't be getting any more graphic with the romance than this chapter, just an fyi. See you next time.


	15. The Attack

Here we go!

* * *

Izuku came to a stop as Mandalay's message played in his head. His arms hung limply at his sides as he stared ahead at nothing, jaw agape. Any thoughts about his close encounter with Mina vanished.

Had he heard that right? They were under attack? There were villains… Here!?

How had they known? Why were they here? Was it the League? Were the others okay?

His eyes widened.

"Mina!" Like him, she was likely lost in the middle of the woods.

She was all alone.

The thought of her being in danger sent the boy into a panic. She was somewhere out there, likely as scared as he was now, with nobody else around. And in his mind, he was the one to blame for that.

"Oh god… Oh god, oh god, oh god!" Izuku clutched his head as he began to hyperventilate. "What do I do, what do I do!?" She could be hurt, or worse, and it was his fault!

What did he _do!?_

" _In a crisis situation, losing your heads like that could lead to dire consequences for you and others."_

Izuku stopped freaking out as Aizawa's words echoed in his mind.

His breathing slowed. He took his hands off his head. Slowly, he forced himself to calm down.

His teacher was right, of course; he couldn't afford to lose it right now. And Mina wasn't the only one in danger.

The young hero-in-training, now more focused, quickly surveyed his surrounding to make sure he was safe. Confirming there were no signs of villains in the area, he activated Full Cowl and rapidly climbed the tallest tree he could find. He broke through the canopy, allowing himself to get a full view of the surrounding area. He quickly spotted the lodge area, where he had been instructed to head. He also spotted a large plume of smoke some distance away from the buildings, likely the results of a fight going on.

He also spotted a familiar ridge, gasping when he did.

"Kouta!" Without thinking, he began moving towards the ridge as fast as he possibly could. While he was certainly worried about Mina as well as the rest of his classmates, the fact of that matter was they had encountered villains before. He had faith they would be able to fight back, or at least get away. But Kouta was another story.

First him, then Mina.

* * *

This couldn't be happening.

Mina's eyes darted around, quickly checking to see if anyone else had found her.

"Relax, little lady. Just you and me." The stitched man seemed incredibly nonchalant. "Let's see… Pink hair, pink skin, weird black and yellow eyes… Yep, you must be Mina Ashido." He held a hand out towards the girl, palm outstretched. "Boss had special orders for you."

Mina had never been so thankful for her naturally fast reflexes as she just barely managed to avoid getting incinerated by an enormous jet of dark-colored flame erupted from the man's hand. Diving to the ground, she rolled a couple times to get behind a large tree

"Holy shit," she whispered, her skin tingling from the heat. That attack hadn't seemed serious, yet it easily rivaled anything she had seen Todoroki do with his flames. This guy was different from the villains her class had taken on at the USJ. And what did he mean about his boss?

Mina obviously didn't have time to think about any of this. Using her Quirk to boost her speed, she slid out from behind the tree just before another blast of flame struck it.

"Quick one, aren't you?" The villain seemed amused. "Just what you'd expect from U.A." Ignoring the comments, Mina attempted to counterattack by launching some globs of acid at him. Before they even reached their target, though, the man held up his hand again and launched another burst of sinister-looking flame. The acidic projectiles were engulfed by the attack, evaporating almost instantly.

"Shit!"

She didn't want to fight this guy – Frankly, she didn't link she could at this point – but she didn't feel confident that she could just run away. His attacks were long range and covered a huge area, and his reaction time seemed quite fast; she would need to distract him or something before attempting an escape, even if it was only for a few seconds.

Avoiding another shot, Mina became aware of the spreading fire all around. The stitch-faced villain's attacks had ignited a good portion of the surrounding foliage, and the flames were quickly spreading. Thick, grey smoke was filing the area.

She got an idea.

Swerving once again, the acid-sliding girl dashed for a particularly dense cloud of smoke. She entered it, ignoring the stinging feeling in her eyes as she moved.

"Clever," the assailant said as he launched a blast at the smoke cloud. The speed and force of the flame jet pushed some of the smoke aside, but Mina was nowhere to be seen. "Very clever." He looked around, wary of a flanking attack. When he noticed no signs of the girl, he started moving in the direction she had gone. The fire he had made continued to spread, making this particular spot a little too dangerous for him.

Nearly a minute after he had left, Mina sprung to her feet from beneath the smoke cloud, running out of it as fast as she could. Coughing and choking as she gasped for breath, the terrified girl started running in what she estimated was the opposite direction the villain had gone, trying to get away from the smoke and fire.

She had made a gamble, but it seemed to have paid off. The moment she entered the smoke, she had dived off to the side and laid prone, covering his face to shield herself from the smoke. She had felt the heat on her back of a flame blast passing over her, and heard the sound of footsteps moving away.

Not slowing down despite being out of breath, Mina blitzed through the woods. She didn't know where she was going, but she wanted to make sure she got some distance between her and that villain. From there, she'd find a way to get her bearings and try to get back to the lodge safely. While she was obviously worried about Izuku, she also knew he was good at keeping his head on in these kinds of situations, and had likely formed a similar plan.

She just prayed he was safe.

She had many questions, of course. Why were these villains here? How did they find the camp? Who was this "boss"? Was it the League of Villains attacking? And what did that fire guy mean when he said he had special orders for her? She had many questions, but she couldn't spare the time to think about them now.

This was a life or death scenario, and she needed to keep her focus.

* * *

Uraraka and Tsuyu cautiously moved down the forest path, keeping their eyes peeled for students waiting to scare them.

"I-I think I just heard a scream…" Uraraka muttered, moving closer to her amphibious companion.

"We'll be fine, ribbit." Tsuyu, naturally, seemed to be showing no fear. Her friend nodded, but remained tense.

It had been a tough day for Uraraka. While confessing (but not really) to Izuku last night had helped ease her mind on the matter somewhat, she still wasn't quite over it. But at the very least she was able to talk to both him and Mina again, even if she hadn't fully come to terms with their relationship just yet.

But she was getting there.

The heated exchange that had occurred today wasn't helping her mood, of course; she'd never seen either of her friends get that upset before. It was… Kind of scary.

Like these woods.

Shaking her head, the brunette refocused on the task at hand: Looking out for scary students.

Both she and Tsuyu leapt in surprise when Mandalay's message played in their heads. After processing the information for a few seconds, the two girls looked at each other in terror.

"V…Villains? Here?" Uraraka stammered. "B…But how-

"Ochako, look out!"

* * *

Izuku ran as fast as he possibly could, forcing himself to ignore the agonizing pain most of his body was currently experiencing. His shirt was completely gone, his arms were wrecked, and his left eye was nearly shut from the swelling around it. Kouta clung to his back as he ran, still in awe at what he had just witnessed.

The injured student had arrived just in time to stop a villain from attacking the child. The battle was grueling and easily the most difficult one Izuku had ever fought, but he had ultimately emerged victorious. But in the process, he had learned some very important information: Some of his class was being specifically targeted by this attack. He himself seemed to be a target, and it seemed Bakugou was as well. But there could be more.

Like Mina.

It was why, despite his immense injuries, Izuku couldn't stop. He couldn't return to the lodge now, not when he knew there were others were in danger. Mina, Bakugou, everyone… He couldn't stop until he knew they were safe. Not if he ever wanted to call himself a hero.

"Hey, over there!" Kouta's voice shook him from his thoughts. Turning towards where the boy was facing, Izuku gasped.

"Mr. Aizawa!"

Stopping at the sound, Aizawa turned.

"Midori…" He trailed off when he saw his student's current state. Izuku wasted no time as he stumbled over to the man, panting.

"We're… We're in trouble, sir."

* * *

Uraraka was flung into the air by Tsuyu's tongue as the villain rushed the two of them.

"Run to the facility! Aizawa only gave us permission to fight to protect ourselves!" Her friend cried.

"I'm not leaving without you, Tsuyu!" Uraraka shouted back.

"I'll be right beh-ugh!" The brunette felt the tongue wrapped around her recoil as a knife slashed at it.

"Tsuyu! I like that!" The deranged girl that had called herself Toga a little while ago continued charging at her. "Calling each other by your first names, ohmygosh, that's so cute! I'm gonna call you Tsuyu too!"

This girl was completely out of her mind. She had ambushed the two students, and pursued them relentlessly as they tried to escape, going on about how cute the two of them were. It wasn't until a telepathic message from Mandalay told them they had permission to use their Quirks that they had decided to try fighting back.

"Don't. I only want my friends to call me Tsuyu," the frog girl said plainly as she attempted to hop away. Before she could though, she felt a tug on her head as a knife pinned her hair to a tree.

"Woo hoo! That means we're friends too! Yay!" Toga seemed ecstatic as she flung her knife before running up to cradle Tsuyu's face.

"TSUYU!" Uraraka screamed as she scrambled to her feet. Toga had begun saying something to her captive about blood, but the zero-gravity girl wasn't listening anymore. Anger overtook her as she ran full speed at the psychotic villain. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" As she approached, Toga suddenly whipped around and thrust a knife at her. However, Uraraka was ready for this, and dodged to the side.

From there, muscle memory kicked in as she remembered Gunhead's training about fighting attackers with knives. Executing the maneuver perfectly, the brunette managed to get a hold of her attacker before slamming her face-first into the ground.

"Tsuyu!" She wasted no time. "Can you use your tongue to wrap up her wrists? Does it hurt?" She didn't take her eyes off of Toga as she spoke.

"That was amazing, Ochako! Just a sec…" The villain turned her head slightly.

"Ochako… You're sweet, too. You smell just like me!" Uraraka tried to ignore her captive's insane babbling. "…You _like_ someone, don't you?"

"Huh!?" Uraraka's eyes widened. Seeing this reaction, Toga gave a deranged smile, her cheeks turning bright red.

"And you're always thinking about how you want to be like him, right? I totally understand! It's just girl stuff!" Her manic words continued, but once again Uraraka wasn't listening.

Did… Did this girl know about Izuku?

For a split second, she stopped focusing on Toga as the green-haired boy's image flashed in her mind. Her grip loosened ever so slightly as she suddenly saw him next to Mina.

A sharp pain in her leg brought her back to reality.

"OCHAKO!" Tsuyu cried as the syringe in her friend's leg began to siphon blood. Before her tongue could ensnare the villain, though, she suddenly bucked, knocking the stunned Uraraka off her back. The next second, she was on her feet.

"Shit!" Uraraka cursed as she clutched her bleeding leg. How could she have let herself get distracted like that?

"Uraraka!?" A male voice called out in surprise. Turning her head, the brunette saw several familiar faces emerging from the trees.

"Shouji! Everyone!" Tsuyu sounded relieved. Toga responded to this turn of events by breaking for the trees.

"Well you got help, and I don't wanna get killed, so bye for…" Trailing off, the crazed girl's eyes lingered on Izuku for a moment before she disappeared.

"Wait!" Uraraka got to her feet to pursue. There was no way she was letting the psycho get away after that.

"Stop!" Tsuyu shouted. "We still don't know what her Quirk is! It's too dangerous!" The frog girl's friend gritted her teeth. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Tsuyu was right. Besides, they had been instructed to avoid combat if possible.

"Who was that?" Izuku, who was being carried by Shouji, asked.

"A villain, and a damn crazy one too!" Uraraka answered. Finally getting a good look at Izuku, she gasped.

"Deku, what… What happened!?" His body looked completely wrecked.

"Don't worry about me, what about you? Your leg is…" How typical. Always worrying about everyone else instead of himself.

"I can still walk, it's fine," she insisted. The injured boy started to say something, but simply nodded.

"Alright, if you're sure. Oh, one other thing…Have… Have either of you seen Mina?" Uraraka felt her stomach tighten. He didn't know where she was?

"No, I… I figured she'd be with you," she said, worry on her face. If she wasn't with him, then where?

"We… We got separated." There was clear guilt in his voice. "Just before the villains started attacking." He fell silent.

"Izuku…"

"Hey, we shouldn't be standing around! Let's get moving!" Tsuyu chimed in. While she was of course worried about Mina, the fact was they were all still in danger.

"R-Right," Izuku nodded. "We were escorting Kacchan back to the facility. You should both come with us." The two girls looked at him confused. "What?"

"Well, if you're escorting Bakugou…" Uraraka had a feeling she didn't want to ask this. "…Where is he?"

* * *

Mina leaned against a tree, clutching her chest as she stopped to catch her breath. She had lost track of how long she'd been running.

Once she was certain she had lost the villain that attacked her, the pink girl had used her Quirk to quickly scale a tree and get her bearings. Once she had figured out where the facility was, she immediately began heading in that direction, and hadn't slowed down since.

At some point she had received a message from Mandalay stating that Aizawa had permitted her and the rest of the students to fight back if they needed to. Fortunately, Mina hadn't run into any villains since then, so she didn't have to worry about that. However, she also hadn't found any of her classmates, meaning she was still all alone.

Bakugou had been called out specifically for some reason, but Mina didn't have time to question why. Right now, her priorities were getting to safety and helping anyone she came across.

After taking a moment to rest, the pink haired girl continued to move through the woods. However, she only managed to take a few steps before a familiar voice got her attention.

"Oh my gosh, Mina!?" She stopped, turning her head. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw Uraraka emerge from the brush. She looked a little scuffed up, but seemed fine overall. "Mina, are you okay?" Mina dashed to her friend, embracing her.

"Ochako, I'm… I'm fine." She was overjoyed to see a friendly face. She released her friend, looking her over. "What about you? Are you hurt?" The brunette shook her head.

"I had a run-in with a villain, but managed to get away." She looked around. "They might be close by, so we should get moving!" A bit startled by this revelation, Mina nodded.

"Right." She turned away. "The facility's this way, so-Ah!" She cried out as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. Whipping around, she saw Uraraka holding what looked like an empty syringe, an unsettling smile on her face. "Wha…"

A strange feeling came over Mina. Her vision began to blur as her whole body started to feel numb. She clutched the side of her neck as she staggered back, staring at Uraraka with confusion and fear. The whole world began to spin and sway as the numbness intensified. Her "friend" slowly approached her, the smile never leaving her face.

"Wow, that stuff works fast!" She spoke in a voice that was clearly not her own, looking at the object in her hand.

"O…Cha…Ko…?" Mina's speech was slurred as she collapsed against a tree, her vision growing cloudier as she felt her eyelids droop.

"You have _great_ taste in men, by the way!" Uraraka giggled; it sounded extremely cheerful, yet there was a sinister undertone to it.

Darkness came over the delirious girl as her consciousness finally faded.

"I…Zu…"

* * *

Jirou gasped for breath as she suddenly regained consciousness. It took her a moment to realize she had some sort of mask on.

"What the…" She quickly realized she was being carried by someone. "Hey, who's…"

"Jirou!" Yaoyorozu's voice came from above her, muffled by what Jirou assumed was another mask. Her classmate set her down, then helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" Upon seeing her classmate – and some other students carrying unconscious bodies – wearing a gas mask, Jirou quickly remembered what had happened to her.

"I'm fine, I think. What happened?" She recalled breathing in something odd before passing out.

"A villain was responsible for the poison. It seems to have stopped, so I believe someone took them down." She paused. "Still, we should keep these on just to be safe. At least until we get to safety." Jirou recalled hearing something about villains just before she lost consciousness. She nodded in agreement. "Anyway, we need to keep moving."

"Wait." Jirou held up a finger. "Before we do that, let me make sure nobody else is nearby." She began using her jacks to probe the surrounding area for any unusual sounds. After several seconds, she picked up something. "There are footsteps… That way," she pointed to where she sensed the vibrations.

"A villain?" Yaoyorozu looked in the direction her classmate pointed, sounding worried.

"I… I don't think so." Jirou could estimate a person's size by their footsteps. "It sounds like someone about our age."

"If it's one of us, we need to help them!" One of the other nearby students, someone from 1B, yelled out.

"Agreed. But we should be cautious; it could still be dangerous," Yaoyorozu advised. Jirou nodded once again, and began leading the group towards the source of the noise. Using her jacks as a guide, she was able to quickly pinpoint its location.

"It's just ahead," she whispered, hiding among some forest brush as she indicated for the group to stop. Listening carefully, she was able to make out a conversation.

Wait, when did a second person show up?

"…Well done, Toga. Shigaraki will be most pleased with your work." A deep male voice spoke, almost sounding like it was echoing somewhat. Jirou could swear she recognized it from somewhere.

"Yay!" A cheery female voice exclaimed. A strange sound, like a rush of air, could suddenly be heard.

"The others should be ready with the other target by now. Hurry through, I need to get to them as soon as possible," the other voice seemed to command. "I will warp you to our evacuation point. Wait there until I have returned with the others.

Jirou's eyes widened. Warp?

Suddenly, she remembered where she recognized that voice from.

She moved up so she could confirm her suspicions. Sure enough, there was a large, swirling mass of purple and black floating about 40 feet ahead. Black Mist, a member of the League of Villains. And next to him, walking through his "warp gate", was a very young-looking girl holding…

Jirou screamed.

* * *

"We did… We did everything we could, Deku."

Izuku didn't react to Uraraka's words as he laid on his hands and knees, tears streaming down his face.

After meeting up with Uraraka and Tsuyu, the group of students was immediately attacked by another villain, one that had managed to snag Bakugou and Tokoyami with some strange compression Quirk. After an intense battle that even more villains got involved in, the two captured students were freed from the magician-like villain's grasp.

Tokoyami was ultimately fine. But at the last second, just before they could save Bakugou, one of the villains grabbed him. Izuku had charged the man with stitches on his face, but he had been too slow. Right before his eyes, he watched his childhood friend disappear into the void.

They had failed.

 _He_ had failed.

His friends were gathered around, trying to console him, though they of course were feeling almost as devastated as he was. They were unsuccessful, of course. They had been watching him lie on the ground for several minutes now.

"Midoriya, listen." Todoroki, who had been fairly quiet this whole time, suddenly spoke in a firm voice. "I… I understand what you must be going through, but… We can't stay here." The others looked at him. "We're all still in danger." These words seemed to get a reaction from Izuku as he tilted his head towards Todoroki. "There may still be villains around. That girl Uraraka and Asui were fighting wasn't here, for instance." Izuku looked up at him, not saying anything for a moment.

Despite his grief, the green-haired boy had to agree. He still needed to make sure the rest of his friends were safe.

"R…Right." He struggled to get to his feet, though the pain from his injuries was finally setting in. Shouji helped him up, placing him on his back.

They moved at a hurried pace, eventually managing to reach the facility without any further incident. Aizawa and several other students were already present inside the mess hall, where they had set up a makeshift infirmary. Izuku frantically looked around, wanting to make sure everyone was okay. The majority of his class was here, much to his relief, but…

He didn't see Mina anywhere.

The situation with Bakugou was reluctantly explained to Aizawa; even he wasn't able to hide his shock at the news.

"Damnit…" Was all he said, his body trembling slightly as he shut his eyes. His students rarely, if ever, saw him lose his composure like this.

Izuku was led to the infirmary, where he was set down onto a bed. He winced slightly, pain shooting through his body as he connected with the bed.

He felt exhausted, both physically and mentally, yet he couldn't sleep. Not while there was so much guilt in his heart. Not while the image of Bakugou disappearing inches in front of his face was still fresh on his mind. And not while he wasn't sure where Mina was.

A sudden commotion got his attention. Slowly looking up from his bed, he saw another group of students had just entered the building. His eyes shot open as he quickly checked to see who they were. He recognized some members of Class 1B, who were hugging friends, along with Yaoyorozu and Jirou, who were frantically explaining something to Aizawa. The teacher's eyes shot open as they spoke, fear appearing on his face. For a brief second, he glanced over at the bed-ridden boy.

What did they just tell him?

Izuku found himself springing out of bed, ignoring the pain as he began walking towards them. Jirou happened to look in his direction, her face growing pale as she saw him.

What had them so distraught?

Before he could reach the group, the earphone-jack Quirk wielder intercepted him.

"Jirou?" As she got closer, he noticed signs that she had been crying, which made him even more concerned; Jirou didn't cry. "Wh…What's wrong? What happened!?"

"M…Midoriya…!" She sniffled. "I…I'm s-so sorry, I…" She clenched her eyes shut. Izuku's heart began to pound.

What was she crying about?

Why had she looked so afraid when she saw him?

"We… We tried to stop them, but…" She paused, as if she couldn't bear to say the rest of the sentence.

"Jirou, what happened!?" Izuku voice was frantic as he repeated his question. "Stop who!? _Why_!?" He suddenly felt like here was a lead weight in his stomach.

"They… They took her!" The invisible girl cried as she hugged Izuku, sobbing into his shoulder. "Th-They t-took M-Mina!"

Izuku's world was suddenly silent. His whole body felt weightless as he stared ahead at nothing.

Mina was… Gone?

No, he must have heard that wrong. There was no way she could have… They couldn't have…

Izuku suddenly felt lightheaded. He felt himself begin to fall. It was as if his brain was shutting down before it could be overwhelmed by grief.

The boy fell limp in Jirou's arms as he fainted.

* * *

Tomura Shigaraki looked over his underlings for a moment. More of them had ended up making it out then he expected, if he was going to be honest. His eyes settled on the stitch-faced man, who was holding an unconscious Bakugou by the collar.

"Hey now, Dabi, don't be so rough with our guest like that." He waved a hand towards the door leading to the basement of the hideout. "Go find him a room, would you? And make don't be too harsh with the restraints. We want to make sure he's comfortable." He had gone through a lot of work to secure this blonde brat, and he wanted to make sure things went smoothly.

"Sure thing, boss."

"Oh, is he gonna be our new friend!" Toga asked in a bubbly voice, sitting on the counter of the bar as she kicked her legs back and forth.

"That's right Toga. A new friend." The leader of the League of Villains grinned as he spoke, though it was partially obstructed by the hand on his face.

"Yaaaay!" Toga clapped, giggling. She looked down at the unconscious Mina at her feet. "What about her? Is she a new friend?" Shigaraki looked down at the girl, and then at his hand, still scarred from the burn it had received roughly 2 weeks ago. His eyes narrowed.

"Not exactly…"

* * *

Phew, managed to get through that. Lots of action and plot, not a lot of character moments in this one. Not exactly the sort of thing I'm used to writing. Hopefully it didn't feel too disjointed; I just wanted to skip the parts of the attack that were more or less the same.


	16. Fear and Hope

Has it really been 3 weeks? Sheesh.

Sorry about the unusual delay. I wish I had a good reason for my absence, but the truth is I've just been distracted by Monster Hunter; that game is basically just video game crack. Fortunately, after a couple weeks of spending _all_ my free time on it, I've managed to get myself back to writing.

* * *

Izuku awoke to the sound of chattering voices and a slight rumbling sensation. It took him a moment to realize he was lying on his back on top of… Something. He slowly opening his eyes as he tried to move, only to find he was apparently restrained. Confused, he lifted his head up to see he was strapped into a stretcher. Looking around, he was quickly able to discern by his surroundings and the rumbling feeling that he was in an ambulance. A few feet away sat a paramedic, who was talking into a radio with his back to the boy.

Trying to recall what had happened to land him in this position, Izuku suddenly felt a wave of pain wash over him. Wincing, he quickly recognized the sensation; his limbs were broken, likely from using One for All at full strength. However, the pain was more intense than usual; he hadn't felt like this since he went up against Todoroki.

What had caused him to push his Quirk to this degree? Why was he…

It was like a switch in his head flipped as the memories started coming back.

The attack on the training camp. The fight with that terrifying villain. Fending off Dark Shadow. Watching Bakugou disappear right before his eyes.

And the last thing he could remember, finding out from Jirou that Mina had also been…

He stopped thinking for a moment as it all set it in again. Both of them were… Gone. Just like that.

"Oh good, you're…" The paramedic, who had become aware of the conscious Izuku, trailed off as he saw tears falling from the boy's face. "Hey, what's wrong?" Worried there may be something happening with Izuku's injuries, the paramedic moved so he was next to him.

"I… I failed them." The distraught boy sobbed, not really aware of the person next to him. "K-Kacchan… M-Mina!" Turning his head to the side, he completely broke down.

It was all his fault. He had been too slow with Bakugou, and Mina… He was the one who had taken things too far in the woods that night. And because of it he had run away, leaving Mina all on her own during the attack.

Both of their kidnappings were on him.

He had failed to be a hero tonight.

The paramedic tried to comfort Izuku, but to no avail. Having been briefed on what had happened, he had some understanding of what had the boy so upset. Sighing, he sat with him as the tears continued to flow.

* * *

Mina groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Her vision was hazy as she opened her eyes, and she still felt a little lightheaded.

"What… Happened…?" She asked nobody, her speech still somewhat slurred. Realizing she was in a sitting position, she attempted to get to her feet. However, she found herself unable to move as something held her arms and legs in place. "Huh…?" Looking down, the delirious girl saw that she was in a chair with what appeared to be metal clamps restraining her limbs at multiple points. As she tried to comprehend what she was looking at, a voice got her attention.

"I wouldn't think about trying to melt through those." Looking up, Mina's vision had cleared up enough to notice a man standing before her. He was leaning against the wall of the small, dingy room they were apparently in. Beside him was a door, the only one in the room. Her eyes widened as she recognized his patchy purple skin and the stitches all across his body. His arm was outstretched with his hand held out towards her. "Just a suggestion."

Mina recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't seem to remember where. Why was her mind so muddled?

"Who… Who are you?" She asked the man. "Why am… Why am I locked up? Where am I?" She was starting to panic. Whatever was going on, she knew it wasn't good.

"Seriously?" The stich-faced man seemed amused by her lack of comprehension. "Guess that stuff's still in your system." He didn't say anything else, apparently enjoying keeping her in the dark. Mina frantically tried to recall what had happened to her prior to this. Why couldn't she remember anything?

As she struggled to dig up memories, the door suddenly opened. In walked a strange-looking man with a black outfit, light blue hair, and what looked like a severed hand clutching his face. Mina was certain she knew who this was, but she just couldn't place the name.

"Oh, she's awake," the new arrival noted.

"Sorta. Sedative's still working, so she's not all there." The other man explained.

"S…Sedative?" Mina repeated.

Wait, she was… Drugged?

Suddenly, as if triggered by this realization, a memory played vividly in Mina's head. Uraraka, not quite sounding like herself, standing over her with a manic smile. In her hand, an empty syringe.

The captive girl's heartrate began to accelerate. The veil over her mind rapidly dissolved as more and more memories poured in. The confusion in her eyes turned to terror as she realized exactly who the two men standing in front of her were.

"Seems she's starting to remember… Good." The villain she knew as Tomura Shigaraki approached her as he spoke. Mina instinctively began thrashing against her restraints, though her body seemed sluggish and heavy. "Hey, hey, knock that off." He sounded like he was talking to a child.

"Get the _hell_ away from me!" Mina hissed as she began generating acid in her limbs. The second she did, however, she suddenly felt a searing heat on her left side as a stream of flame just barely missed her. The fire had been so close it had managed to singe a bit of her hair, and she could feel a tingling sensation on her skin. Looking past Shigaraki – who didn't even react to the flame – she saw the second villain's hand outstretched.

"I warned you, didn't I?"

She stopped struggling immediately.

"There, that's a good little hero." Shigaraki knelt down so he was even level with the pink girl. "Little Mina Ashido…" She could see his eyes from between his face-hand's fingers as they looked her up and down. She glared at the villain, trying to mask her fear.

"What do you want?" She couldn't hide the shakiness in her voice, and the disintegrating villain clearly noticed it.

"Well, you left me with such a nice little gift last time we met…" He held up his right hand, which was covered in what Mina immediately recognized as scars from an acid burn. "And I thought, what kind of guy would I be if I didn't… Return the favor?" He suddenly shoved the hand forward, as if to grab her by the face, only to stop less than an inch from her skin. He let out a deranged laugh as Mina literally stared death in the face. After a couple seconds, he pulled the hand back.

"But see, killing you now would be _such_ a waste," he said, standing. "And I hate to be wasteful. So before you die, Ashido, you're going to help me with something."

That certainly explained why she had been kidnapped instead of killed outright. Of course, this guy must have been even crazier than Mina thought if he thought she was going to help him with anything.

"Like hell I am," she snapped. "Look, I don't know what your plan here is, but you really think the heroes are just gonna ignore what you did? I bet half the U.A. staff is already out looking for you assholes." She was, again, trying to hide just how afraid she was. In truth, she had no idea how U.A. was responding to this. Heck, she didn't even know how long she had been out. But surely there was going to be a response to this.

Unfortunately, her faux bravado didn't seem to faze Shigaraki. Instead, he just laughed.

"Ignore it? Of course not! That's the whole point!" His laughter grew. "Why, I'm sure the news that a group of 'villains' managed to infiltrate the oh-so amazing U.A. _again_ and make off with two of their students will be _everywhere_!" He exclaimed, mad glee in his voice. Mina's eyes went wide.

"Wait… Two?" She sat up as much as she could with her bindings. "Who… Who else did you take?" Her brave façade crumbled. "Who else is here?" Shigaraki turned around, not giving her an answer. "H-Hey, answer me!" Mina demanded.

"Dabi, keep an eye on her for a little while. I'll send someone to join you in a bit." The stitch-faced villain, Dabi, nodded as his leader spoke, not taking his eyes off of Mina. Shigaraki said nothing more as he left the room.

"T-Tell me who else is here!" Mina practically screamed as she started to thrash again. The knowledge that one of her friends – hell, anyone in either her class or 1B – was also being held here scared her more than the fact that she herself was here. And if it was Izuku…

Mina didn't even want to consider that possibility.

The reality of her situation was starting to fully setting in. She – And someone else, if Shigaraki was to be believed – was completely at the mercy of a group of villains that had managed to infiltrate the top hero school in the country _twice_. Wherever they were holding her was obviously well hidden, and despite her statement earlier, she wasn't sure anyone would be able to find it. These people had a warp Quirk; it was possible they weren't even on the same continent.

The more she thought about it, the less likely a rescue seemed. And there was no way she was getting herself out of this, especially in her current state. Even if she could free herself without getting incinerated, who knew how many more villains were here? And where was the other student? There was no way she could leave them behind, after all.

A feeling of dread washed over the young student.

She… She was going to die here.

Shigaraki had made it quite clear that he intended to kill her once she had "helped" him. She was living on borrowed time at this point.

Her family, her friends… She was never going to see them again. No more dancing lessons with her mom. No more squabbles with Makoto. No more bad jokes from her dad. No more hang-outs with her U.A. friends.

No more dates with Izuku.

Mina sobbed as she realized all this. Any hope that she might be saved had been drowned out by the overwhelming despair she was feeling now. Knowing someone else may have been sharing her fate only made things worse.

The sound of the door opening again managed to get her attention. A young woman Mina didn't recognize entered the room.

"Hiya, Dabi!" She spoke in a cheery voice. Mina was somewhat shocked by her appearance; she didn't seem to be much older than the pink girl. She seemed to be wearing a sailor uniform with a cardigan covering most of it.

"Oh great, he sent you." The sarcasm in Dabi's voice was more than evident.

"Yep!" The woman (or was girl more appropriate?) beamed, revealing incredibly pronounced canines that almost made her look like a vampire. She turned to look at Mina, and her smile widened. "Oh, she's awake!" The strangely bubbly girl practically skipped over to the captive girl. "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last time! I'm Himiko Toga!"

Mina blinked. Who the heck was this girl?

"L…Last time?" She found Toga's behavior a little unsettling.

"Yeah, don't you remember? We played together back in that spooky forest!" Mina looked at the strange girl in confusion before it hit her.

While she didn't recognize Toga's face, she did recognize her voice.

"Oh, looks like you remember!" Toga grinned. "My Ochako disguise was pretty good, huh? Looked just like her!"

She was the one responsible for incapacitating Mina. Which meant that, despite her seemingly innocent demeanor, she too was a villain. One with a shapeshifting Quirk of some sort, as it seemed.

Mina gulped, finding Toga's attitude that much more unnerving.

"Hey, don't go telling her what your Quirk does, Toga." Dabi seemed annoyed. The female villain turned to look at him; Mina had to resist the urge to try and attack while she was distracted.

"What's the big deal? She's gonna be dead soon anyway, right?" Mina tensed up at this; she had said it so casually… "Right after Tomura's all done talking with Katsuki."

Wait, Katsuki? As in, Katsuki Bakugou?

"Bakugou's here!?" Mina cried. Was that the other person who had been captured?

"Yep!" Toga turned back to Mina, smiling. "Tomura says he's gonna be our new friend!" Mina stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean 'new friend'?" She did _not_ like the sound of that.

"She means we're going to help the kid find his true calling." Dabi spoke up. Mina turned her attention to him. "Guy's a lot like us, in a way; society's seen fit to shun him just because he doesn't act like how a hero 'should'. The media calls him a delinquent just because he's not afraid to speak his mind." He shook his head. "What a load of bullshit."

"Yeah, so Tomura decided we should help him out! Show him he's not the only one who gets treated badly," Toga continued.

Mina could hardly believe what she was hearing. Their plan was to try and convince Bakugou to join them? She wanted to laugh, to tell them how crazy this sounded.

Wanted to, but couldn't.

Because the truth was, it _didn't_ sound crazy. Mina had said it herself; Bakugou was no hero. He was violent, he lacked any kind of compassion for others, and he had actively gone out of his way to hurt someone who needed help. He had tormented someone who had no chance of fighting back for _years_ , just because he could. What was that, if not a villain?

"But enough about him… Tell me about Izuku!"

Mina's head snapped back to Toga as she mentioned Izuku's name. Any thoughts about Bakugou vanished from her head.

Izuku… Was he okay? Had he been hurt in the attack? She had no way of knowing, of course, and that terrified her.

And even if he was fine, she couldn't imagine the grief he must have going through. For all she knew, he might have thought she and Bakugou were dead. And knowing him, he probably blamed himself for it all somehow.

She bit her lip, fighting back tears as she was reminded of the fact that she was never going to see him again.

"You two are a thing right? You must know all about him!" Toga interrupted her thoughts. "What kind of guy is he? What kind of food does he like? What clothes does he wear? What kind of music does he listen to?" The villain's cheeks turned a little red as she fired off question after question, a crazed look on her face.

Mina's gut wrenched as she spoke. Something was clearly very wrong with this girl, and the pink-haired girl did _not_ like the fact that she seemed so interested in Izuku.

"I'm gonna be taking care of him for you after you're gone, so I gotta know this stuff!" Mina's body tensed up as Toga giggled.

"You stay the _fuck_ away from him!" The acid-girl snapped at the villainess. Grief gave way to rage as Mina involuntarily began activating her Quirk. Whatever Toga wanted to do to Izuku, it couldn't have been good. Just the thought of this psycho getting near... "If you so much as lay a finger on him, I'll-AAAH!"

She cried out in pain as a stream of dark flame grazed her left side, this time actually singing her arm a little. Her eyes clamped shut as she grit her teeth; it wasn't a severe burn, but it certainly stung.

"Strike two," Dabi said. Blocking out the pain as much as possible, Mina managed to open her eyes. She glared at Toga, but said nothing.

Hearing Izuku be threatened like that had sparked something in her. In that moment, all the fear and despair in her heart burned away.

What was she doing, just giving up and accepting her fate? What kind of a hero thought like that?

She thought of the day Izuku found her after finals. She thought of their first time studying together. She thought of those first few days of training camp. So many times, she had been ready to just give up on something, only for him to help her find her resolve and keep going.

He wasn't going to be here for her this time.

Obviously, this situation was a lot more serious than those ones. Obviously, she still was in mortal danger, and her chances of getting out of this looked slim. She was right to be afraid, yes, but she couldn't let that fear control her. Not if she wanted to have any hope of getting out of this, anyway.

She needed to keep a level head, to wait for the right moment. Sooner or later these villains would let their guard down, and she needed to be ready to act the second it happened. And while she'd ideally be able to avoid it, she needed to be ready to fight. Dabi, Toga, Shigaraki… Mina had to be prepared to take them and any other members of the League on if necessary.

Most importantly, she needed to be ready to deal with Bakugou, whether that meant having to save him…

Or having to fight him.

* * *

Izuku stared blankly at the ceiling as he laid in his bed. It had been two days since the attack, but he could barely remember anything between then and now. He had apparently broken out in fever from the immense strain on his mind and body, and had been slipping in and out of consciousness as his injuries were being treated. Recovery Girl's Quirk had worked its magic, though, and the immense damage his body had received was, for the most part, healed.

Mentally, though, he was still a complete wreck.

The few times he remembered being conscious the past few days, all he had been able to think about was Bakugou and Mina. Because of him, they were gone.

He could still see Bakugou's face, just inches away from his grasp before disappearing. The fact that Izuku had been so close and still failed made it hurt that much more.

Still, at least he had actually been there for Bakugou. At least he had _tried_ to save him.

At least he hadn't abandoned him like he had abandoned Mina.

The bed-ridden boy's body shook as he felt tears forming yet again. He could only imagine how she must have felt when she received Mandalay's message about the attack. She had, like him, been completely alone at the time. Alone because of him.

She had probably immediately thought of him, like he had for her. Maybe she had tried to find him while he went off to rescue Kouta. Maybe she had still been looking for him when she had been…

He sobbed. Not knowing exactly what had happened to her was agonizing. How long had she been out there, all on her own? Had she been seriously hurt? Was she even still alive?

That last question made him feel sick.

Where had she and Bakugou been taken? Why had they been taken? Kidnapping them just to kill them somewhere else seemed strange, especially since Izuku knew he himself had been targeted for death and not capture. So they must have been still alive, right?

Right?

The distraught boy began to hyperventilate as his heartbeat quickened. Just thinking about the possibility of either of them being killed because of his negligence…

Izuku could never hope to call himself a hero if that happened.

The sound of the door opening pulled him from his morbid thoughts. Shifting his head, he saw a face.

"Hey, Midoriya! You're up!" Kaminari waved to his classmate before entering the room. Behind him, the rest of 1A followed. "Have you seen the news at all! U.A.'s all anyone's talking about… It's pretty bad," he explained. Izuku stared vacantly at everyone as they expressed their gratitude that he was okay.

"You all came… Just for me?" Izuku was momentarily forgot his grief as he looked upon the class, but the absence of two particular students quickly reminded him.

More tears fell.

"I…I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I… I really appreciate you all coming here, but…" The group was silent; the attack had taken its toll on the entire class, both physically and mentally.

"It's… It's alright, dude," Kaminari seemed on the verge of tears himself. "It hasn't been easy for any of us."

"Kacchan, he… He was right there!" Izuku cried. "He was right in front of me and I… I couldn't save him!" He was staring at the ceiling again. "And Mina was… I… I left her all alone!" He shouted as more tears came. "I couldn't… I didn't…"

"You can still save them."

Izuku turned back towards the classmates. Kirishima, the one who just spoke, had stepped forward. He had a fiery look in his eyes. Todoroki was standing behind him.

" _We_ can still save them."

" **WHAT!?** " Everyone else aside from Todoroki looked at Kirishima as they cried out in surprise. The redhead ignored them as he continued to speak to Izuku.

"Todoroki and I were here yesterday, and we heard All Might and the police talking with Yaoyorozu…" The aforementioned student gasped. "You mentioned you had put a tracking device on one of the villains, and gave All Might a device to follow its signal," he continued. "So they could the League's hideout…"

"…And I take it you want her to make another?" Iida suddenly spoke up, wariness in his voice.

Kirishima's silence answered that question.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Everyone jumped as Iida suddenly screamed at his classmate. "We need to let All Might and the others handle things! Getting involved with the operation is both incredibly foolish and dangerous!"

"You don't think I know that!?" Kirishima fired back, glaring at the class rep.

Izuku stared wide-eyed as the whole class began to argue. Kirishima was absolutely determined to try and help save his friends, even if it meant more or less breaking the law. Some of the other students tried to get him to calm down, saying that behavior like that would make them no better than the villains. Aside from Todoroki, it seemed nobody seemed to be agreeing with the spiky-haired boy.

"Look man, I'm pissed off too. But we can't just go doing whatever we want because of that!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"I… I know!" Kirishima shouted with clenched fists. "I know you're right! I know all of you are right! But still!" He whipped around to face Izuku. "You understand, don't you Midoriya!?"

Izuku had been silent this whole time. He looked up at Kirishima, meeting his gaze.

The redhead also seemed to feel responsible for what had happened to Mina and Bakugou. Unlike Izuku, though, that feeling seem to only make him more eager to go through with his plan. He wanted to make up for his perceived mistake and save his friends.

The green-haired boy wanted to share that sentiment, but his mind was plagued with doubt. Kirishima felt responsible because he hadn't been able to do anything; Izuku, on the other hand, _could_ have done something. He _could_ have stopped them from taking Bakugou if he had just pushed himself a little more. He _could_ have gone after Mina, or at least tell someone she was off on her own.

Could have, but didn't.

He wasn't able to keep them safe then… Would he be able to now? Or would he simply get in the way of the pros?

"I… I don't know," he finally said, much to the surprise of Kirishima. "I… Want to help them, but what if by trying to help, we screw things up?" His gaze faltered. "I didn't… I failed to keep them safe before. What if it happens again? What if I-

"Seriously!?" Izuku winced as Kirishima loudly interrupted him. "Are you hearing yourself, man!?" He stepped forward so he was now right beside the bed. "That's your guilt talking, not you. The Midoriya I know would never say that kind of bullshit!"

"Kirishima, dude…"

"Where's the Midoriya we all saw fight Todoroki, huh? Where's the Midoriya that took on All Might and won?" Izuku was trembling. "What would Mina think if she saw you like this, huh?"

Green eyes met red.

"What do you think she'd do if you were the one who had been captured? You really think she'd just lie down and wait for someone else to save you? You think-

"Sorry if I'm interrupting." Everyone turned towards the door as a voice called out. Izuku recognized one of the doctors that had been helping with his treatment. "I'm afraid it's time for Mr. Midoriya's medical exam." After a little hesitation, the class began to clear out.

"Le…Let's go guys." Sero, along with everyone else, seemed a little on edge after everything that had just occurred.

"Yeah… Come on Kirishima, we should really let him rest." Kaminari stood in the doorway as he waited for his red-haired friend, who was still standing next to Izuku's bed.

"Well, when you remember who you are… Meet me in front of the hospital, tonight," he said quietly before turning to leave. Izuku watched him exit the room in silence.

" _What would Mina think if she saw you like this, huh?"_

The words echoed in his head. After everything he had said to her about not giving up, about not letting failure keep you down, what _would_ she think seeing him like this?

His jaw clenched.

Had he forgotten everything he had been aspiring towards? Everything he had learned from All Might?

Todoroki had been there as Bakugou was taken, but he certainly wasn't giving up. And he would probably be acting the same way if Izuku had been taken instead. Both him and Kirishima. And there was absolutely no doubt in Izuku's mind that Mina would be jumping at the chance to save him if their situations were reversed.

He tried to imagine what she was thinking right now. Was she letting herself admit defeat like he nearly had?

Of course not. Neither her nor Bakugou thought like that.

Wherever they were, they were likely both doing whatever they could to fight back. They weren't going to just roll over and wait for rescue.

And neither was he.

* * *

Yeah I know, a rather short and uneventful chapter after such a long wait. Definitely not my best work either, not the sort of tone I'm used to writing. Fortunately, I should be getting back to more frequent updates after this.


	17. Rescue

Alright, time for the action chapter. This is very foreign territory for me; let's hope it turns out well.

* * *

Izuku made his way towards the entrance of the hospital, rekindled fervor on his face. The doctors had given him the clear to leave just a little while ago, though without warning him about the state his body was in. The aspiring hero had pushed himself harder than ever before against Muscular and the other members of the League of Villains, and the consequences were quite apparent. He had been instructed to go home and get some rest.

He had every intention of doing just that… Once he knew Mina and Bakugou were safe.

He was fully aware at how reckless this was. How much potential harm straining himself when he hadn't fully recovered could do to him. How illegal acting on his own without permission from the pros was. But none of that was important. For Izuku, all that mattered now was the safety of his classmates.

As he made his way into the lobby, a familiar face quickly caught the green-haired boy's eye. Sitting in a nearby chair was a nervous-looking Uraraka. She locked eyes with Izuku almost immediately. As he wondered what the zero-gravity girl was doing here, she quickly got to her feet and approached him with hurried steps.

"Uraraka, what are-

"You're going, aren't you?"

Izuku's mouth stayed open for a moment as Uraraka interrupted him. Closing it, he hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I am." He spoke with a soft yet firm voice. "And I'm sorry, but if you're here to try to convince me not to-

"I'm going too." Izuku's eyes shot open at as his friend said this.

"You… You are?" Uraraka had been fairly quiet when Kirishima brought his plan up before; what had made her decide to join him?

"Yeah," the girl said with a nod. "I just… Iida and others are right to want us staying out of it, but…" She looked down at the floor, her expression to one of guilt. "Kirishima's right. I…We can't just stand here and do nothing. Not after…" She trailed off, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Uraraka…" Something had been eating at her, clearly. Izuku held an arm out toward her as turned away.

"It's… It's my fault," she said in a quiet voice. Her classmate was slightly confused. "I… That villain Jirou said she saw take Mina, I… I think that was the one Tsuyu and I fought." There was a pause. "The one I… The one I let escape."

Izuku thought back to the attack, recalling the girl that Uraraka had pinned to the ground as he showed up. He remembered her suddenly freeing herself and fleeing into the woods, though she had given him an odd look just before disappearing.

Was Uraraka blaming herself for that?

"I had her, Deku!" She turned around as her voice grew in volume. Izuku could see her the corners of her eyes were starting to glisten. "I… I had her beat, and then she…" She shut her eyes again, clenching a fist. "Then she started saying all this weird stuff about crushes and how she could tell I liked someone and… And for a split second I lost focus and started thinking about…" She turned her head away. "About you."

A few drops fell to the floor.

"That's when she got out. That's how she got away, and because of that Mina…" She looked back at him, tears streaming down her face. "I-I'm so sorry, Deku!"

Without thinking, Izuku stepped forward and pulled his distraught friend into a tight embrace. She was rigid for a moment before collapsing into him, sobbing into his shoulder. He was honestly on the verge of tears himself; hearing her say those things reminded him of his own guilt.

He only held for her a few seconds before she began to calm down. Pulling away from him, she wiped her eyes.

"S-Sorry, I just…" She inhaled deeply. "That's just… That's been on my mind for awhile now."

The two looked at each other for a moment. Both of them felt, in some way, responsible for what had happened to their friends. And because of that, they felt that much more determined to help save them.

Without another word, they turned towards the hospital exit and made their way outside.

* * *

Mina had no way of tracking time, but it had felt like she had been sitting here for hours.

It certainly hadn't been easy staying resolute in such a bleak situation, but she had managed somehow. Toga's incessant rambling had certainly not helped; more than a few times the crazed villainess had said something that nearly set Mina off, but she managed to keep a level head through it all.

That said, she was actually somewhat grateful for Toga's… Interesting personality. Despite Dabi's protests, the shapeshifter had talked to her about the rest of her "friends", the other villains that were a part of the League. From the sounds of it, there were a total of eight members present. Aside from the three she had spoken to, Mina was also familiar with Kurogiri, the warping villain from the USJ.

So far, she was aware with four of the villains' Quirks: Dabi's flames, which just seemed to be a dark-colored version of Todorki's fire powers, Toga's shapeshifting, which she had generously explained in excruciating detail, Shigaraki's decaying ability, something Mina was _very_ familiar with, and Kurogiri's warp gates.

All incredibly strong, and she imagined the other four members' Quirks were just as scary.

Still, it helped her prioritize who the threats in her current situation were. Toga's Quirk, for instance, wasn't really going to impede her escape. Still, she had no idea what the girl's physical capabilities were, so she needed to be mindful of that. And Shigaraki's, though deadly, required direct contact. Mina's Quirk was naturally a good counter to it, as she had demonstrated before; it seemed to be the reason she was even here.

Dabi's, though, was a problem. He had demonstrated extremely precise control with his fire, and could generate a huge amount of it in an instant. His reflexes were no joke, either; he had counteracted her acid mid-flight. Something told her he was the one guarding her for a reason.

But despite all that, it was Kurogiri's that gave the pink girl the most concern. Not only did it make him nigh-invulnerable (Mina did recall something about him wearing some metal thing that was a weak point), but it would enable to the villains to easily chase her down if she managed to escape. It meant she'd have to find some way to hide once she was safe, which wasn't ideal.

Trying to think about it all was honestly giving her a headache. Trying to strategize like this was not something she was used to.

The odds were very much against her, she knew that. She hadn't even factored in Bakugou, who one way or another was going to complicate things, whether he was an ally or enemy.

And to be frank, Mina was feeling more and more convinced he would be he latter.

As she continued to think about a possible plan, there was an odd, wind-like noise. The sound pulled Mina from her thoughts, and her eyes widened as she saw what the source was.

A familiar black-and-purple fog-like substance materialized in the room, with two yellow slits visible at its high point.

"Well speak of the devil…" Mina mumbled.

"Tomura Shigaraki has requested your presence." the sinister voice of Kurogiri spoke to his two comrades.

"What about her?" Dabi gestured to his prisoner.

"We are to bring her. The time has come for her to serve her purpose." Mina tensed up at this ominous statement.

Time was running out, it seemed; she was going to need to do something soon. She was just grateful the sedative seemed to have completely left her system by this point.

She braced herself as the fog enveloped her.

* * *

Izuku stared out the window at the night sky as the train continued on its way. His leg was bouncing up and down as he tried to calm his nerves.

He turned to look at the gathering of friends around him. In addition to Uraraka, Kirishima, and Todoroki, the rescue effort had been joined by Yaoyorozu and, after a rather heated confrontation, Iida. However, why they were willing to join in, they had both made it very clear they would be putting a stop to this if there was even a hint of them actually getting into a fight. Fortunately, it seemed Kirishima and Todoroki had planned to make this a stealth mission from the start.

Currently, the group was following the signal from Yaoyorozu's tracking device to the Kamino Ward of Yokohama, Kanagawa. Somewhere in that region, the League of Villains – Or at least one of them – was hiding out somewhere.

"I want to ask you all, just in case…" Todoroki, who was sitting across from Izuku, suddenly spoke up. "Nobody's going to approve of what we're doing here; we're doing this purely for ourselves. So, if anyone wants to turn back, you've still got time."

"If I had any doubts, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place!" Kirishima didn't even hesitate.

"There's no way I can turn back now." Izuku's voice was strong and firm. He had left any doubts he had about this back at the hospital. It wasn't even about Mina or Bakugou at this point; it was about saving someone that needed help. It was about being a hero, and part of that meant butting in even when people say you shouldn't.

Of course, the fact that the people in danger were both extremely close to him did help him make the decision.

The rest of the group had similar sentiments. They were all in this together now.

"There is just one thing," Uraraka, who was next to Izuku, added. "About Bakugou." Everyone looked at her. "I didn't really think about until now but… Won't he see us all trying to save him as a disgrace? Will… Will he even let us save him?"

Silence followed her question. Izuku found himself thinking back to when Bakugou was pulled through that portal. The last words he had said before disappearing.

" _Stay away, Deku."_

"Come on, that's ridiculous." Kirishima was the first to speak. "Even he's not stubborn enough to do act like that in a situation like this."

"I…I'm not so sure," Izuku looked at the floor as everyone turned to him. "Uraraka honestly has a point."

More than anyone, he knew how Bakugou's mind worked. It didn't matter how serious the situation seemed; his pride seemed to always come first. Being saved by his classmates would be a huge blow to that pride. It would make him think he's weak, especially seeing how he didn't have the highest opinion of most of them.

However…

There was one person here he seemed to have at least some respect for.

Izuku looked up at Kirishima.

"Huh? What's up, man? And what do you mean she has a point?"

"Kacchan will likely just get mad at us for trying to help him. I know it's strange, but… That's just how he is." He paused. "But… I think there's one way we could get him to listen…"

* * *

As her vision returned, Mina found herself in what appeared to be a small bar. Surrounding her was a group of intimidating individuals. Taking a quick head count, she surmised that this was the entirety of the League of Villains. Some were leaned against the wall, others sat at the bar counter, and some simply stood. Many of them seemed focused on the television playing in the corner of the room, which appeared to be playing footage of a press conference with U.A. staff.

Standing among them was Bakugou.

Mina felt her chest tighten upon seeing him. He wasn't restrained or anything, just… Standing there. Next to Shigaraki of all people.

"Oh good, everyone's here." Shigaraki turned to face the pink girl. "Then we can get started."

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Mina paid no mind to the villain as she glared at Bakugou. She knew she should have expected this, but to actually see him standing with the villains sickened her. The blonde sneered at her.

"Weren't you the one who said I'll never be a hero?" Mina gripped at the arms of her chair at this.

"Really now? You told him that?" Shigaraki was clearly amused by all this as he spoke. "Well now, that's not a very hero thing to say, now is it?" He sighed. "Just goes to show how far society has fallen if people like you are considered the top candidates for hero work."

Mina had to fight every urge to dissolve her restraints and attack. Hearing these villains try to justify their actions made her blood boil.

But she needed to try to keep calm. She needed to try to think of a way out of this.

There were two exits in this room. One was an open doorway the seemed to lead further into the bar. The other was a door with a window covered by a metal cage, with some sort of light above it.

Based on how the bar was arranged, that appeared to be an exit.

"Well then, let's begin the… Initiation." Mina returned her attention to Shigaraki as he spoke again.

What did that mean?

He nodded towards Bakugou, who began walking towards her. He had one of those crazed smiles he was infamous for on his face.

She felt anger begin to bubble up inside her again as she looked at him. As awful as she thought he was, there was still some small part of her that believed maybe, just maybe, he wasn't completely lost. That somewhere deep down inside of him was a decent person. But in the end, he really was as rotten as he seemed.

Coming face to face with that reality made her hate him that much more.

"Remember, you don't need to kill her or anything. Just do enough to show us you've got what it takes," Shigaraki explained.

Mina's eyes widened as Bakugou stuck his arms out towards her, cupping his hands together.

He couldn't be serious. Was _this_ what they wanted her for? They were going to have Bakugou beat her while she was helpless to… To _initiate_ him?

"This will probably get… Messy," Bakugou said, still grinning like a maniac as he looked down at her. Mina readied her Quirk; like hell she was going to let this happen. "You _might_ want to look away."

He winked as he said "might".

The captive girl just barely stopped herself from releasing acid. For half a second, she wondered what that wink was.

Then it hit her. That stance Bakugou was in…

A crackling sound was heard as light appeared between his hands.

She had seen it before.

Shutting her eyes, Mina turned her face away as much as possible. Bakugou whipped around as the explosion he had building went off.

Kurogiri started to shout something, but it was cut off by the sound of the blast. There were cries of shock as a blinding flash of light enveloped the room. Despite the attack not being aimed at her, Mina's chair was launched away by the force of the explosion. There was a slight ringing in her ears as she opened her eyes. She had managed to avoid getting totally blinded by the blast, though she was seeing spots.

Bakugou's so-called "Stun Grenade".

Without another thought, Mina sprang into action. Her restraints were destroyed in seconds as she released the strongest acid she could muster. Leaping to her feet, she immediately started acid-skating straight towards the door. Bakugou was already halfway to it.

Mina would have wondered about what just happened, and whether Bakugou had actually just tricked everyone in this room, but her mind was focused purely on escaping this place alive.

This was it. The villains were, for the moment, dazed from the explosion. Just a few more feet and…

Mina gasped as a veil of black fog appeared between them and the door. Bakugou managed to react in time, firing explosions in front of him to stop his momentum. He actually flew back slightly, grabbing Mina's arm as he did to stop her from also running straight into the mist.

The two stood side by side, each getting into a fighting stance. Kurogiri stood at the other end of the bar by the doorway, seemingly unaffected by Bakugou's Stun Grenade. The rest of the villains were quickly recovering as well.

"Stay next to me, damnit," Bakugou said to Mina in a low voice.

"An admirable attempt," he said, looking at Bakugou. "But I must say, I'm very disappointed in you Bakugou." Mina recalled hearing him speak just before the attack went off; he must have realized what was happening and also averted his eyes.

She swore internally. That had been their best chance.

'Shut the fuck up," Bakugou spat back at the shadowy villain. "I've been listening to your boss go on and on about so much stupid bullshit… I'm fucking done, you hear me!?" He shouted.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mina saw Dabi raise an arm.

"Bakugou, look out!" She cried, getting ready to dodge. The explosion wielder snapped his head in her direction, noticing the villain taking aim.

"STOP!"

Just before it looked like he was going to attack, Shigaraki cried out, holding an arm out towards Dabi.

"Nobody lay a _finger_ on him." He turned towards the two students, his gaze focused on Mina. "And leave her, too… I don't want to risk collateral damage."

"Heh. Knew it." Bakugou smirked as he spoke in a low voice. Mina now understood why he had told her to stay close.

The villains had surrounded the teens, now fully recovered from the surprise attack. They all seemed ready to attack, but were staying their hands due to their leader's orders.

"You spend a lot of fucking time talking about pointless shit, you know that?" Bakugou looked at Shigaraki. "Dumbasses like you never know how to get to the point. Long story short, you're begging me to join you so you can fuck with the heroes, right?"

The explosive student took a single step forward, his eyes burning with unmatched fervor.

"Not happening. I made up my mind a long fucking time ago." He pointed a thumb at himself. "I'm gonna be a hero, damnit. A hero like All Might, that always wins no matter what! And no amount of bullshit you assholes spew at me is gonna change that!"

Mina was stunned. After being so certain he had chosen the path of villainy, she could hardly believe Bakugou was saying this kind of stuff.

She had never been so happy to be wrong about someone.

As her comrade continued to mock the villains about how stupid they were for thinking he'd join them, the pink girl attempted to come up with a plan. Currently, the only thing stopping these villains from attacking was that Bakugou was seemed to important to hurt. If they got separated, she'd almost definitely be targeted.

She could tell the hothead next to her wasn't just shouting because he liked to; he was stalling, trying to find an opening. Trying to think of a plan.

"I see…" Shigaraki sighed. "Well, I was hoping we'd be able to understand each other, but I can't afford to waste trying to persuade you. Not with the heroes investigating." The decaying villain suddenly looked up. "Master, lend me your strength."

Mina froze. ? There was someone above Shigaraki?

"Master? You mean the ain't here? Don't disappoint now!" Bakugou laughed. While Mina was beyond grateful he was on her side, his overconfidence was just as annoying as ever.

"Kurogiri, Compress. Put him to sleep."

Crap. So much for the whole "don't lay a finger on him" thing.

The U.A. students prepared themselves. However, just before any fighting began, a knock was heard.

"Hello?" A voice suddenly came from the other side of the door, getting everyone's attention. "This is Pizza-La, Kamino branch. Your pizza's here."

For a moment, Mina forgot about the life-or-death situation she was in.

"What the fu-

" **SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!** "

A booming voice roared out as one of the bar's walls completely collapsed. Several villains went flying as an all-too-familiar figure came flying into the room.

Both Mina and Bakugou's jaws dropped as they cried out in unison.

"All Might!"

* * *

Izuku was amazed. Even he hadn't expected the pros to act _this_ quickly.

He and the rest of the rescue group had arrived in Kamino a little while ago. After acquiring some… Interesting disguises, they had followed the signal on the tracking device to a seemingly abandoned building. Wanting to remain unnoticed, they had decided to sneak around to the back of the building. However, as they were making their way there, Izuku had noticed a window that was easily within their reach. Thanks to some night vision goggles Kirishima had brought along, they were able to get a look inside the building.

Izuku had not been prepared for what it contained.

Inside this rather mundane-looking building was what more or less appeared to be a, for lack of a better term, Nomu factory.

The sight of it sent chills down the green-haired boy's spine. Just one of those monstrosities had nearly killed Aizawa, and was almost a match for All Might himself.

However, before he could think of what to do with this information, something huge smashed into the building, demolishing a sizeable portion of it. The students just barely managed to avoid getting hit by debris created by the impact. After recovering from the initial shock, they were amazed to see that the destruction had been caused by none other than Mt. Lady. Within seconds she, along with Gang Orca, Best Jeanist, and Tiger went on to subdue each and every Nomu. Accompanying them was a sizeable police force that was focusing on keeping the area clear.

"Holy shit…" Kirishima, like everyone else, was stunned by what he had just seen.

"Phew… All right, we should get out of here." Iida seemed beyond relieved. "There is no longer anything we need to do." Izuku hesitated, but then remembered hearing the pros say something.

"They mentioned 'All Might's group'… Kacchan and Mina must be wherever they are."

And if All Might was there, then…

"If All Might's there, then then we should be that much more at ease!" Yaoyorozu said exactly what Izuku was thinking. "Now, let's make haste back-

"Stop right there! Don't move!" A shout from Gang Orca interrupted her.

The group froze. Had they been spotted? Mt. Lady's attack had taken out most of the wall they were next to, so it was possible…

"He with the League!?" The hero's next line made them realize he hadn't been talking to them.

Izuku listened more carefully. An unfamiliar voice spoke, though he couldn't quite make out what it was saying.

Someone else was here? Was it a villain? He began to turn back towards the building to look.

Before he did, though, a deafening sound nearly blew his eardrums out. There was a massive rush of wind as even more chunks of concrete flew all around him.

Slowly, he turned his head back to look at what just happened, a feeling of dread growing inside him.

His face went ghost-white at the site before him.

* * *

Mina gasped for breath as the vile-smelling liquid that enveloped her dissipated. Resting her hands on her knees as she panted, the distraught girl tried to make sense of what just happened.

She and Bakugou had been surrounded. But just before they were attacked, All Might and a bunch of other pros came crashing through the wall. In the blink of an eye, they had restrained each and every one of the villains, knocking out both Kurogiri and Dabi in the process. For a few seconds, Mina actually thought she had been saved.

What happened next, though… She still didn't understand what she had seen.

Strange black liquid suddenly began materializing out of thin air all around the bar, and from it emerged a legion of horrific monsters. While they didn't look exactly the same, they seemed to be the same sort of creatures as that Nomu thing that had attacked the USJ.

The heroes wasted no time engaging the new threat. Fortunately, none of the "villains", if they could even be called that, seemed anywhere near as powerful as that first one. Though they were obviously surprised by the sudden influx of enemies, the pros seemed like they were going to be just fine.

It wasn't until that gross liquid started covering Mina that she started panicking.

It was tough to describe the sensation that overcame her as her body was covered in the substance. It was as if she was being pulled towards something. She barely managed to notice the same liquid covering Bakugou and the villains before her face was completely covered.

As she caught her breath, Mina realized she was no longer in the bar. She could feel wind on her skin, and the ground beneath seemed to be… Dirt?

Looking up, she gasped at the scene surrounding her. She was clearly in the middle of a city block of some sort, but…

It looked like a bomb had gone off.

There was a massive gouge in the earth, like something had just ripped out part of it. Crumbled remains of the buildings that had once stood in the crater lined its edges, having taken out a large amount of the surrounding architecture.

 _What the hell happened here?_

"What the fuck is this shit!?" A familiar voice cried out. Looking to her left, she saw Bakugou standing next to her. As she did, she finally became aware of the figure standing before the both of them.

He… At least, she was pretty sure it was a he, was nearly the same size as All Might. He wore a simple black suit, like some sort of salaryman. From the shoulders down, nothing about him seemed unusual.

Above that, though…

A strange helmet covered the entirety of his head and neck. It looked vaguely like a skull, and seemed to contain some complex machinery. Pipes attached at the top of the helmet ran down the back of his into the part covering the neck, which had several more pipes running along its sides.

"I must apologize, children." The man spoke in a deep, intimidating voice. As he spoke, more splotches of that black liquid appeared all around them, bringing with them every single member of the League of Villains.

Mina and Bakugou remained still and silent. Something about this man standing before them filled both of them with absolute dread. Just his presence alone seemed to invoke fear so powerful it prevented either of them from moving a muscle.

Had this man been the cause of all this destruction?

"You've failed again, haven't you Tomura?" The masked man turned to Shigaraki, who said nothing. "Well, you mustn't be discouraged. You should simply start over." He spoke to the decaying villain as if he were a child. "Look, I've even returned your comrades to you… As well as these children." He gestured to the students. "Seeing as you've decided they're of importance."

The villain held a hand out toward Shigaraki, as if to offer help.

"You can try as many times as you like… That's why your mentor is here! This is all for your sake."

Mina's stomach lurched. This was Shigaraki's master he had referred to?

She looked to Bakugou, who looked as shaken as she did. Like her, he probably realized he should run. But like her, he probably couldn't make himself move.

Was this it? After they had come so close, was this man going to undo everything?

"…Ah, there he is."

Before Mina could wonder who he was referring to, the masked villain suddenly whipped around, arms outstretched. Something akin to an explosion went off as something collided with him from above, causing Mina and Bakugou, along with most of the villains, to go flying back. Mina managed to orient her body and land on her feet.

As the dust cleared, Mina realized the thing that had struck the villain was All Might himself. She would have cheered. Would have felt total relief that the top hero ever had once again stepped in to save them.

She would have, if it wasn't for the fact that the masked villain seemed completely fine. Somehow, he had stopped All Might's attack with nothing but his bare hands.

Sweat dripped from Mina's brow.

The two began to speak to one another. From the sounds of things, they seemed to know each other.

"I won't make the same mistake I made 5 years ago…" All Might sounded considerably angrier than normal. "All for One!"

All for One. So that was the masked villain's name.

"I'm going to take back young Bakugou and Ashido!" The symbol of peace suddenly sprang towards his foe, readying a punch. "And then this time, I'm going make sure you and your so-called League of Villains will be locked up for good!"

"Is that so?" All for One's held his arm up as it began to… Change. Just before All Might reached him, he launched his attack.

Mina screamed as the force of the villain's attack shook the earth, leveling several hundred feet of buildings in a line. All Might was launched back, flying through rubble.

"ALL MIGHT!" Both Mina and Bakugou cried out.

Just what the hell was this guy's Quirk? Between the teleporting, the super strength, and… Whatever that was, Mina couldn't figure it out.

Did… Did he have more than one? Was that even _possible_!?

"Don't worry." All for One returned his attention to the two. "He won't die from a love-tap like that. And so…" Remaining completely calm, he turned to his "student". "Escape from here, Tomura. Take the boy with you." He paused, looking at Mina. "And do what you wish with her." Suddenly, his fingers turned into what looked like black tendrils. He extended his hand toward the unconscious Kurogiri as the tendrils lashed out, impaling the villain.

Seconds later, a warp gate opened. Somehow, All for One had activated his Quirk.

"Now go," the true master of the League of Villains instructed Shigaraki.

"But master, you…"

Before he could finish, a loud sound was heard from where All Might had been thrown. Before anyone could turn to look, the hero dropped from the sky, landing a few feet from All for One. The villain turned to face his opponent, who charged. They collided, the force of the impact creating another shockwave.

As Mina watched the two juggernauts engage, she heard one of the villains speak up.

"Come on, Shigaraki! Let's get out of here while he's keeping All Might busy!"

Crap. She had completely forgotten about the others. Turning, she saw the still-conscious villains were all looking at her and Bakugou. Shigaraki gave the order.

"Grab the pawn. Kill the girl."

The villains charged the students. Mina readied herself.

This was it. Nobody was going to save them this time.

The acid wielder leapt back as one of the villains, a lizard-looking man with a huge sword, swung down at her. The blade barely missed its mark, and before Mina could counter attack it was already swinging again, this time with a horizontal slash. She crouched down, the blade sailing over her head.

Another villain, a man in a full body suit, came at her from her right, lashing out with something resembling measuring tape from his wrist. She managed to handspring back to avoid a direct hit, though the weapon grazed her arm. Pushing off her hands to leap up into the air. Twisting her body around mid-air, she launched a sizeable spray of acid at the pair of villains. They both managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but splashed on each of them to temporarily distract them from their target.

Mina took the opportunity to get some distance from the two of them. The sound of an explosion made her glance over at Bakugou for a second. Currently, he was nimbly avoiding the rest of the villains, with the exception of Shigaraki. As she looked, she saw him blast two of the villains in the chest: one dressed like a magician of some sort, and one with long, black hair and sunglasses.

"DIE!" He roared as he struck both villains. Mina realized he wasn't aware of Toga running up behind him, knife in hand.

"Katsuki! That's not very nice!" She shouted as she rapidly closed the gap between them. The explosion wielder was still recovering from his attacks as she reached him.

"Shit!" He turned his head to see a knife rapidly approaching him. He wasn't going to be able to stop it in time.

Just before it struck, though, a glob of green liquid struck the knife like a bullet, knocking it out of the villainess's hand. Toga yelped as the weapon begin to melt mid-flight, turning her head to see what had just disarmed her.

It was all she had time to do before Mina's foot collided with her face.

As soon as she realized Bakugou was vulnerable, Mina had rushed toward him, using her Quirk to pick up speed. After using some acid to stop Toga's stab, she leapt straight at the shapeshifter, delivering a flying kick straight to her head. Due to the amount of momentum she had built up, the attack caused Toga to go flying back, rolling across the ground as she landed.

She was out cold.

Mina ignored the extreme catharsis she was feeling for the moment. As her feet hit the ground again, she turned to Bakugou. The two looked at each other for a half-second.

Suddenly, she saw Bakugou look past her.

"Behind you!"

Mind turned her head just enough a terrifying sight.

As if noticing her temporary distraction, Shigaraki had suddenly appeared behind Mina, a frenzied look in his eyes as he stared down at her. Both his hands were already reaching toward her, and were inches from her face.

Time seemed to slow. In her periphery, she saw Bakugou trying to position himself to blast the villain away, but he clearly wasn't going to do it in time.

Mina recalled her last encounter with the faux-leader of the League. She recalled how he had stopped her attack and put her on the floor in the blink of an eye; she had been so panicked during the situation that she hadn't been able to react to his counter at all. She had been too scared to do anything but burn his hand before he destroyed hers.

She could see it in his eyes; he _knew_ she was too slow to avoid this. He _knew_ he had her, and that he was finally going to "repay" her.

"Game over…!"

But the thing was, she wasn't panicking this time.

Mina ducked down, feeling Shigaraki's fingers just barely brush against her hair. Her hand formed a fist. She grinned as she saw Shigaraki's eyes widen.

This time, her mind was focused. This time, she was in control of her fear.

With a triumphant cry, Mina leapt upwards, smashing her fist into Shigaraki's jaw with an uppercut. The blow knocked him off his feet, sending him into the air. A beat later, Bakugou unleashed a particular powerful blast straight into the villain's center mass, causing him to go flying away.

The two didn't have time to celebrate, though, as they quickly saw the remaining few villains already recovering, ready to continue their assault. However, as the students readied themselves for another fight, they heard something from up above. Everyone, including the villains, looked up.

Mina's jaw dropped. There was no way…

Streaking across the sky like a comet was a cluster of familiar faces. Iida, Kirishima, Uraraka, and…Izuku!

"UP HERE! TAKE MY HAND!" Kirishima shouted. Before Mina could finish fully processing what she was looking at, she felt someone firmly grab her arm. She turned, realizing it was Bakugou.

"HANG ON!" He commanded, pointing his other hand to the ground. It took Mina less than a second to realize what he was about to do.

She grasped his arm so they were interlocked as the blond released a massive explosion from his free hand. Mina's stomach lurched as she felt herself being propelled into the sky.

* * *

"Ready?" Izuku looked to his friends. They nodded. Currently, he had his arms wrapped around Kirishima. On the other side, Iida was doing the same. And clutching onto the redhead's back, Uraraka.

The group had been watching the ongoing fight in horror, unsure of what to do. Izuku had wanted to jump into and save his friends, but Iida had stopped him, reminding him of how much danger they could be putting both themselves and the others in.

Of course, none of them truly knew how dire this situation was.

All for One, the villain All Might had warned him about. The villain who could take and give Quirks. The villain who had accidentally created One for All.

He was here.

All Might was putting up a good fight, but it was clear he was holding back to avoid hurting his students. Several times the symbol of peace tried to make a break for Mina and Bakugou, but every time All for One stopped him. He was completely cut off.

Fortunately, Mina and Bakugou were holding the other villains off… But how long would they be able to keep it up? It was six against two; sooner or later, they would tire.

Izuku hate feeling so helpless. He needed to think of a way to help. He needed to do _something_.

Eventually, he managed to come up with a plan. One that didn't involve them actually fighting.

It was a gamble, like most of his plans, but it minimized risk.

The plan was for him and Iida to use their Quirks to pick up speed, and for Kirishima to use his Quirk to smash the wall in front of them. From there, Todoroki would create a ramp of ice, allowing them to propel themselves into the sky. As they flew overhead, Kirishima would call out to Bakugou and Mina; if everything worked out, Bakugou could take Mina and fly up to them with his Quirk, where Kirishima would grab him.

One issue with the plan, though, was that the combined weight of Mina and Bakugou might be too much for Kirishima. Luckily, Uraraka's Quirk could remedy that problem easily, and she would be able to let them safely descend.

Again, it was a huge gamble. But it was all they could do.

"Alright… Now!"

Izuku activated Full Cowl as Iida turned on his Recipro Burst. They dashed forward, smashing through the wall in front of them as Kirishima activated his Quirk. Todoroki acted next, summoning a massive ramp of ice for them to run up. Before they knew it, the group was flying through the air above the battlefield. Kirishima called out as they did.

"UP HERE! GRAB MY HAND!" He bellowed, extending his arm. Looking down, he saw Bakugou say something to Mina before he launched himself into the sky, holding her by the arm.

The Quirk inheritor's heart pounded as the two rapidly approached. It all hinged on this; if they were even a little off…

He felt a pull from behind as Bakugou's hand grasped Kirishima's. For a moment, Izuku felt as if they were all going to be pulled down. However, the feeling quickly disappeared as Uraraka used her Quirk on Bakugou.

It… It worked.

They had done it.

"Shit, look out!" Kirishima yelled out, cutting Izuku's inner celebration short. Looking behind him, the green-eyed boy saw what had caused the redhead to shout.

One of the villains was, somehow, flying at them like a missile.

"No…!"

However, just before they collided with the group, something interrupted the villain's path. Mt. Lady had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, taking the attack for the students.

However, her sudden appearance had created a small gust of wind as the air had to make space the gigantic heroine. The wind buffeted Izuku, and he nearly let go of Kirishima.

Suddenly, he heard a scream. His blood ran cold as he realized who it had come from.

Looking down again, he saw Mina was falling. She had been barely holding on to Bakugou's arm; it was likely the blast of air just now had caused her to let go.

Of course, Izuku wasn't thinking about that right now.

In fact, he wasn't thinking about anything as he let go of Kirishima. His body, once again, simply decided to move on its own. By the time he realized what was happening, he was in free fall.

"MIDORIYA!" Someone above shouted, but he wasn't really listening. All his attention was on Mina, who was flailing through the air several feet below him. Below them, the ground was quickly approaching.

What… what did he do?

As he frantically tried to think of something, _anything_ , to stop the two of them from becoming smears on the dirt, he felt a tug on his shirt. Looking, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Uraraka was falling next to him.

"Get us closer!" She shouted. Izuku could barely hear her over the rushing wind surrounding him. He didn't have time to question why she had jumped too; all he knew was that he needed to get her to Mina.

And he knew just how he could do it.

Grabbing her arm, the One for All wielder twisted his body so he was facing up. He stuck on his arm, rolling his index finger back and placing the tip of it on his thumb. He began to channel the full power of his Quirk into the finger.

"DELAWARE… **SMAAAAAASH** " He roared as he flicked forward. He felt a sharp pain as finger's bones shattered, then a lurch as his body was launched backward from the force of his Smash. Uraraka nearly slipped from his grip, but they held each other firm.

The sudden burst of speed closed the gap between the two of them and Mina, all of them now seconds from hitting the ground. Uraraka reached out to Mina, who reached out to her.

Izuku felt himself rapidly slowing down. He came to a complete stop mere inches above the ground, where he floated in place.

"R…Release!" Uraraka clasped her hands together as she deactivated her Quirk, causing everyone to fall the last few inches.

Izuku laid on his back for several seconds, panting rapidly. Above him, he saw the others begin to descend, Bakugou using his Quirk to slow their fall.

They… They had made it.

His view was blocked as someone stood over him. Without a word, she held out a hand.

Taking a few more seconds to process what had just happened, he grabbed the hand before being pulled to his feet.

Mina stood before him, her hand not letting go of his. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes as she looked at him. Izuku stared at her, his vision starting to blur.

They said nothing as they embraced each other. Izuku held her tighter than he ever had, letting his tears fall freely. Mina quietly sobbed as she held him, her face buried in his shoulder. Uraraka watched them, smiling as she wiped her eyes.

They had all made it.

A distant noise cut the emotional reunion short as the three of them remembered the situation they were still in. Fortunately, they had managed to land far enough away to be out of danger.

In the distance, a fierce battle raged. All Might was no longer holding back.

The students looked on with a mixture of fear and awe. Though they didn't know it at the time, they were witnessing an event that would change the world of heroes forever.

* * *

PHEW! That was _very_ different from what I'm used to writing. Hopefully it turned out okay! I more or less cranked this all out in single day, so there may be a lot more errors than normal. I'll likely be going back through to edit later.

Next time: Everyone will actually be able to take a second and breath, and be able to think about everything that happened. And we can finally get back to the ship!


	18. Aftermath

Let's get right to it.

* * *

"You're… You're sure you're okay, then?"

"Yes, Izu, I'm sure."

"…You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes! For the fifth time, yes, I'm fine!" Izuku winced a bit, pulling the phone away from his ear as Mina shouted.

He was currently back at home, sitting on his bed as he talked to Mina. His mind and body both begged for rest after everything that had transpired over the past few hours, but he just couldn't get himself to fall asleep.

"Shit… I'm sorry about that, just…" He heard Mina sigh on the other line. "It's… It's been one hell of a night."

"Th-That's… One way to put it."

The wielder of One for All was still in awe at the battle he and so many others had just witnessed. Of course, he was one of the only people on the planet who could truly understand its significance, one of the only people who knew just who All Might had bested.

All for One. The world's most fearsome villain, at least as far as Izuku was concerned, had fallen. All Might had, despite his dwindling power, managed to overcome the sheer power of the Quirk stealer and defeat him.

But it had come at a cost.

It had taken every last ounce of the symbol of peace's strength to fell his nemesis. Tonight, the world bore witness to the #1 hero's true form.

They still cheered for him of course. It didn't matter what he looked like, he had still saved the day. But as everyone celebrated, Izuku had wept.

Because he, and he alone, knew that this was the end of All Might.

He knew this day was coming, of course. Ever since he inherited One for All, he knew one day it would leave its former wielder completely… But he hadn't expected it to happen this soon.

All Might. It was because of him Izuku even wanted to become a hero in the first place. He was everything to Izuku, and now he was… Gone.

"I know you're just worried, and I appreciate that." Mina's voice cut through his thoughts. "But they're taking care of just fine here. To be honest, I'm… I'm a lot more worried about you."

One some level, Mina and the other students had understood why Izuku had wept at the sight of All Might's crippled form. They knew something was wrong, even if they didn't know the full truth.

Still, the fact of that matter was that Bakugou and Mina needed to be turned over to the police for both treatment and questioning. Izuku barely had any time to speak to them as the officials took them amidst the chaos of the relief effort. The battered boy had wanted to go with them, to make absolutely sure they were okay, but the others insisted he go home and get some rest. After some convincing, he reluctantly agreed, but not before getting his finger bandaged up by some paramedics that were in the area.

"I'm… I'll be fine," Izuku said. "I just…"

"I understand." Mina's voice was warm and comforting; just hearing it helped put Izuku at ease, if only a little. "Look, just… Just try and get sleep, okay? I'll call you tomorrow as soon as I can."

"I… Alright." After a bit of hesitation, the boy agreed. "Good night, Mina."

"Night, Izu." He put his phone down as she hung up, yawning. Lying down, he felt his eyelids grow heavy; talking to Mina calmed his mind enough.

Overcome by his immense exhaustion, Izuku quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Night, Izu." Mina said before hitting "end" on her phone. She leaned back in the chair she was sitting, in, yawning.

Like she had just said to her boyfriend, it had been one hell of a night.

After witnessing what was probably going to be the craziest fight she'd ever see in her life, Mina was quickly taken by the authorities for treatment and questioning. She was obviously still shaken up by the whole ordeal, so they didn't press her too much for details. Still, she told them what she could about the League as her wounds were tended to. Luckily, asides from the burn on her left arm, she didn't have any serious injuries.

None that she knew of, at least.

There was, naturally, some concern about unseen effects from the villains' Quirks. In particular, that disgusting black liquid Mina had been exposed to just before being teleported worried some of the medical staff. Because of this, she had to remain at the clinic she had been taken to for a few extra hours as they checked for any abnormalities. Thankfully, it seemed nothing was amiss.

The pink-haired girl was currently sitting in the lobby of the clinic, waiting for her parents to arrive to take her home. She had called them as soon as she had been able to, of course, and they were more than a little relieved to hear she was okay.

She couldn't imagine what they must have been going through in the… What was it, two days she had been gone? Apparently that sedative was _very_ potent. That or they had just kept drugging her. Either way, there had been a lot of crying during that call. Mina had cried too, obviously; once things had started to calm down, the weight of everything she had just been through came crashing down. She had been inches from death multiple times tonight, only managing to survive thanks to impossible luck.

On top of that, she was pretty sure she had just seen All Might's final fight. After defeating All for One, or whatever his name was, the hero had… Deflated, for lack of a better word. She had no idea why, but she knew it meant something bad had happened to him.

Izuku knew it too; he was barely able to contain himself as he brought her and Bakugou to the authorities. From the sound of his voice just now, she could tell he was still upset.

Mina sighed. She wanted to be with him right now, to comfort him. But she also knew her family needed her now.

Tomorrow, maybe.

"Hey, Ashido."

A voice interrupted Mina's thoughts. Looking up, she saw an unexpected face sit down across from her.

"Bakugou," she greeted. Suddenly realizing what he had just said, she looked at him with surprise. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"The fuck you mean what'd I just call you? That's your name, ain't it?" The explosive blonde seemed confused by her question.

Mina couldn't help but smile.

"…Yeah. Yeah, it is."

Bakugou had been on her mind _a lot_ the past few hours, though. How could he not be, after everything they had just gone through? How could he not be, after he had smashed her perception of him with his stunt in that bar?

The two stared at each other for several moments. Bakugou's face was different from what Mina was used to; stern, but not angry for once. She honestly couldn't read it very well.

"…How's the arm?" He finally spoke, surprising her slightly.

"Oh, um…" The girl looked down at the bandages on her left arm. "Could be better, but… Mostly fine." Bakugou made a small grunt to acknowledge her response.

The two continued to stare at each other.

Mina was rather conflicted. Bakugou was a violent, selfish jackass that had done some truly awful things in the past; everything about him had screamed "villain" to her. And yet, when offered the chance to become one… He had refused. Vehemently. In that little speech he had given, the explosion wielder had demonstrated a dedication toward becoming a hero that she had only ever seen from one other person.

She could now see how they had been friends.

When the chips were down, Bakugou had ultimately shown that he could in fact be a decent person. He could have easily left her behind if he wanted to, but he hadn't.

Still, that didn't erase everything he had put Izuku through; Mina wasn't about to suddenly just forgive him for that. But, to say he could never become a hero… Perhaps that wasn't true.

"Let me ask you something." This time she spoke first. "You never actually considered joining the League of Villains, right?"

"Fuck no!" The response was instantaneous. "Had to listen to that hand-faced jackass flap his gums for hours. Wanted to tell him to shove it after the first few seconds!" He spoke with his usual vulgarity, but again he seemed far less angry than normal.

"Then why didn't you?" Bakugou raised an eyebrow. "You… You could have probably gotten out any time you wanted after they released you."

"What, and leave you with those psychos?" The blonde scoffed. "Oh believe me, I was ready to blast those fuckers… But I overheard them mention you while they thought I was still unconscious. Talked about how they were gonna kill you after converting me." He paused. "Those guys managed to get the drop on U.A. _twice_. They're idiots for thinking I'd join them, but they're still pretty fucking dangerous. I wasn't about to leave someone to deal with them alone, so I decided to play along until I could think of something."

"…I see." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mina lowered her eyes. "…Guess I owe you an apology, huh?" Saying sorry to him didn't exactly feel right to her, but she felt it was what she needed to do.

"Hmph. Save it." He looked away from her. "…Not like I thought much better of you." Mina looked back up at him, a little confused by his words.

"What do you mean?"

"To be honest, I thought I was gonna have to drag your ass out of there all by myself. Didn't think you were going to be able to do much besides be dead weight."

" _You're the one wasting her time doing fuck-all. Don't act like you know what the fuck makes a hero."_ Mina recalled Bakugou's words during their fight.

"Hell, I didn't even think you'd catch on to my signal in time. Glad I was wrong about all that." He shut his eyes, folding his arms. "…Thanks, by the way."

Mina blinked. Did she hear that right?

"For…For what?"

"For dealing with that knife bitch. She got the drop on me, would've given me a nasty cut before I would've taken her down." He seemed quite confident he would have beaten Toga. "Saved me the trouble though, so… Thanks." He paused before his eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't mean I think you're better than me or anything though, got it?"

Mina couldn't help but smirk. Still the same Bakugou.

"Right, of course." This earned a growl from her classmate. "Alright, alright, chill." She chuckled. "Seriously though, thanks for… Well, everything. I probably wouldn't be here without your help."

"Obviously." Mina's smile dropped. _Definitely_ still the same Bakugou.

The two were quiet for another moment. Suddenly, Bakugou's lips curled into a grin.

"You see hand-job's face when you were about to hit him?" It took Mina a second to realize he was talking about Shigaraki. "Let me tell you, after having to listen to all that bullshit he was spewing, that was real fuckin' satisfying to see." Mina laughed.

"You're telling me." She easily recalled the villain's look of utter disbelief when she avoided his attack. "And then you hitting him with that blast…Bam!" She thrusted forward with her arm, imitating the blonde.

"Hah! Fucker's still feeling that one, I bet!" The two laughed again.

Well, it seemed they had at least one thing in common.

There was another small silence after they calmed down.

"…You know, that was the first time he's fought back." Bakugou was looking at the floor.

"Huh? Shigaraki?" Mina tilted her head.

"No, dumbass!" Bakugou snapped, looking back up. "I'm talking about Deku." Mina's eyes widened a bit. She was not expecting him to be the one to bring Izuku up. "No matter what I said to the guy, what I did… He'd always take it." He looked away again, pausing. "Then the second I say something bad about you…" He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "You must mean a whole fuckin' lot to him, you know that?"

Mina was quiet for a moment. She was, to say the least, surprised to hear Bakugou talking about Izuku like this. No insults, no yelling, just… Talking.

Her eyebrow furrowed. She wasn't sure this was the best time, but she needed to ask.

"…Why do you hate him so much?" She saw Bakugou's body tense up at this, which she sighed at. "Please don't start yelling, I don't want-

"I don't hate him."

Mina shut her mouth at this. The blonde's voice was strained, like he was struggling to talk about this without screaming. He still wasn't looking at her.

"Really?" Mina sounded unconvinced. "If that's true, then why-

"Because he was always looking down at me!" He snapped his head forward, glaring at her. _Now_ he was starting to yell. "Back then, everyone else knew not the fuck with me. They knew their goddamn place. But him…" His hands balled into fists. "Always butting in when he wasn't needed. Always trying to help. Like he thought I couldn't do anything myself! Like I was stupid or something!"

" _That's_ what you thought it was?" Mina stared at him in disbelief. She didn't think Izuku was capable of looking down at anyone. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds!? This is _Izuku_ we're talking about! He tries to help _everyone_!" Despite his anger, Bakugou was somehow staying quiet. "He was your friend, Bakugou! He cared about you, that's all! Hell, he _still_ cares about, even though he has _every_ reason not to!" She was dumbfounded by the explosion wielder's reasoning. Just what had happened to him to make him think that way?

Before he could respond, a buzzing sound came from his pocket. He said nothing as he pulled out his cell phone, looking it.

"…Folks are here." His anger rapidly dissipated as he stood to leave.

"Wait," Mina said as he started to walk away. "Just… Wait, please." He stood in place, but didn't turn. "…Look, if you don't want to believe me, fine. But I'm telling you Izuku doesn't think of you like that. And if you're as serious about being a hero as you claim… You'll find some way to make up for what you did to him."

"…Whatever." The blonde said nothing else before walking out the door. Mina watched him leave, sighing.

Bakugou was an asshole. Today didn't change that fact. But he wasn't a _complete_ asshole. He, like the rest his class, just had a lot to learn before he could even think about becoming a true hero.

One day he would apologize to Izuku. She was going to make sure of that.

* * *

Mina rang the doorbell, practically bouncing with excitement. She actually counted the seconds before the door started to open, her face lighting up as it did.

Izuku greeted at her with a warm smile. A second later, they were in each other's arms.

It had been two days since the incident. After getting picked up from the clinic, Mina had gone straight to bed. She had spent the following day with her family, though she had talked to Izuku over the phone a good deal.

Today was different, though. Izuku's mom had gone out for the day, and the two of them had decided to just spend the day at his house. No fancy dates, no studies, no training… Nothing but each other's company.

After the week they'd had, they could both use a little nothing.

"How are you?" Izuku asked as they separated.

"Better, now that I'm with you," Mina responded before leaning in and planting a quick kiss on his lips.

God, she missed that blush.

"W-Well, come in!" Izuku had a big, goofy grin on his face as he invited her inside. As they walked down the entryway, Mina looked at him with a more serious look.

"…How are you doing?" Izuku's pace slowed as he looked down, a more somber look on his face.

"…I'm managing." His girlfriend rested a hand on his shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face. "I mean, I figured it was coming, but… Actually hearing it..."

All Might had announced his retirement yesterday.

It hadn't been easy for anyone to accept, of course, but Mina could only imagine what Izuku was going through.

"But, it's… It's not like he's really gone. He's still gonna teach at U.A. after all." He managed a small smile. "Like I said, I'm… I'm managing." Placing a hand over the one on his shoulder, he looked at Mina. "What's important is you and Kacchan are safe."

"Thanks to you." Izuku shook his head.

"Kirishima and Todoroki thought of the idea. I… I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. And if Uraraka hadn't been there-

"Oh stop. You know what I meant." Mina shook her head, sighing. "And don't start with that whole 'it's my fault!' crap again. Got it?"

"I… Okay."

Izuku, unsurprisingly, had blamed himself for Mina and Bakugou's kidnapping; he had apologized several times yesterday for "abandoning" her in the woods. Mina, of course, didn't want to hear it. It wasn't as if he knew the villains were going to attack.

The two entered the kitchen. It was a little past noon, and neither of them had eaten lunch yet.

"So um, what did you want to eat?" Izuku asked. Mina shrugged.

"Something quick?" She didn't really have any preferences, she just didn't feel like waiting for food.

"Well, we got sandwich stuff."

"Oh, perfect!" A nice, simple meal for a nice, simple day.

The two of them assembled their lunches, sitting down at the table to eat.

"Mm, not bad," Mina commented as she took a bite. "Can never go wrong with a good sandwich."

"Yeah," Izuku agreed, smiling. Mina smiled back as they looked at each other.

Due to how much had happened the last few days, it had felt like an eternity since she had spent time with him like this. Just seeing him again was enough to put her in a good mood.

She could still hardly believe what he had done. Kirishima had explained to her yesterday that it was Izuku that came up with the whole "fly-by" thing. Not that she was surprised; only he could come up with such a stupid yet ingenious idea. And then there was him nearly jumping to his death for her…

She had spent a _long_ time chewing him out over the phone about that one. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be the last time he did something like that.

She both loved and hated that self-sacrificing nature of his.

"So… Your parents were definitely okay with you moving?" Izuku suddenly asked, disrupting her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, yeah." She paused. "It was a _really_ long conversation, though."

Last night, the Ashidos had received a visit from one Mr. Aizawa. Apparently, he and All Might were going around to all of class 1-A's homes to formally apologize to the families. In addition, they were requesting permission to allow the students to move into the dorms U.A. was currently constructing.

Aizawa had explained it was for security purposes. Mina and the rest of her class had now been the target of multiple attacks by the League of Villains, and there was a strong likelihood there could be more. U.A.'s staff had elected to build the dorms in order to help safeguard the students by keeping them in the (mostly) secure walls of the school.

Naturally, there was some conflict with Mina's parents. Frankly, they had questioned whether she should even go back to U.A. after what had happened, let alone let her live there. Mina couldn't exactly blame them, of course, but she had no intention of dropping out of U.A.

Not anymore.

There had been a good deal of arguing, but eventually her parents had agreed to let her move. They understood that, whether they liked it or not, their daughter had gotten caught up in something, and that wasn't going to change. As scary a thought as it was, the villains that had taken her could very well try again. At the very least, U.A. would give her the best chance to prevent that.

"I'm… Kind of surprised, honestly," Izuku admitted.

"Well, hero work can be dangerous. I think our parents recognize that, otherwise they would have never let any of us attend this school in the first place."

"That's true." He paused. "I'm just glad my mom's letting me go back." Apparently, there were problems on his end as well.

"You're telling me. Don't know what I would've done without you." Mina winked, causing Izuku's cheeks to turn rosy.

The prospect of dorms excited Mina. Being on school grounds meant she wouldn't have to take the train to school every day, which meant more sleep. More importantly, she was going to be living in the same building as all her friends… And boyfriend.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

Izuku gently ran a hand through Mina's hair, absentmindedly playing with her curls. A joyful sigh told him to continue, as did the soft nuzzling against his body.

The couple was sitting together in a large chair in Izuku's living room, the two of them just barely able to squeeze into it together. Izuku sat forward, legs draped over the chair's ottoman. He had his right arm around Mina as she snuggled up against him, who was curled up on her side facing inward, her head resting on Izuku's shoulder with her right arm hugging his chest. The TV was on, but they were only half-paying attention to what was on it.

Izuku wasn't sure how long they had been sitting like this. They had settled into this position as soon as they finished eating, and hadn't moved since.

He felt Mina stir. Looking down, he saw she was staring up at him with a tired smile. He leaned in, closing the gap between their lips. They stayed together for several seconds before separating. Mina giggled; a sound that never failed to brighten Izuku's face.

For the moment, despite everything that had happened, the One for All inheritor felt at peace. Mina had a way of making his worries just… Disappear, as if she had used her Quirk to melt them away. Her smile, her laughter, heck just her sheer presence was enough to make him smile.

It was why we was looking forward to the dorms so much. He'd have that much more time to spend with her.

A yawn escaped Mina's lips.

"Mmm… Nap time." She murmured. Izuku blushed when he realized she was about to fall asleep on him, but didn't budge.

To be honest, he was feeling a little tired too. Maybe he could rest for just a few minutes…

* * *

Inko Midoriya took off her shoes as she stepped through her front door.

"Izuku, I'm home! Is Mina still here?" She called out. Not receiving a response, she made her way down the hall. She could hear the faint sound of the TV, suggesting that someone was in fact here. "Izuku?"

It was late afternoon, around 4 PM. As far as Mrs. Midoriya knew, Izuku hadn't been planning to go out today.

She stepped into the living room.

"Izuku, are you-oh!" She put a hand over her mouth as she entered the room. Taking in the sight before her, the woman smiled.

Her son and Mina were sitting in a chair, cuddled together as they slept. Izuku's head leaned against Mina's, his right arm lazily draped over her shoulder.

There were smiles on their faces.

Without a word, Inko walked into the room, shutting the TV off. She gave one last look at the young couple, letting out a happy sigh before she left the room.

The last few days had been… Difficult, to say the least. Izuku's constant injuries had taken their toll on his mother, and she had nearly pulled him from U.A. as a result. After a heartfelt speech and apology from the one and only All Might, though, she had ultimately decided, perhaps against her better judgement, to allow him to stay.

Still, she worried for her son. He had been hospitalized for two days straight, and immediately after that he had witnessed his idol's retirement from heroism. He had been pretty torn up about it all day yesterday.

So, seeing that smile on his face just now meant a lot to her.

Quietly thanking Mina, the woman began to prepare dinner. She made sure to make enough for three.

* * *

Another short one, sort of a wrap-up to this part of the story. Now we move on to the next leg of the journey: Dorms!


	19. Moving Day

And so we finally get back to the crux of the story. Don't get me wrong, action scenes are fun and all, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting past it.

* * *

The sun shined brightly in the sky as Izuku entered the grounds of U.A. He smiled as he breathed in the summer air as he approached his destination. It was the start of a new day, both literally and figuratively; today he was moving onto the U.A. campus.

It had only been about three days since All Might visited his home to propose the idea of having Izuku move. The young student was, of course, somewhat nervous about living on his own, but he had ultimately agreed once his mother had allowed it. He wasn't going to be living completely independently after all; the school would still provide meals during class hours, as well as a stipend for him to purchase food and supplies on his own time. Plus, he would be living in the same building as all his friends.

And of course, his girlfriend.

Just thinking about it brought color to the boy's cheeks, and a smile to his lips. He had at one point been worried about not getting a lot of time with Mina once classes started up again, but that was no longer a concern. He didn't know the exact structure to the dorms yet, but one way or another she would be close.

"Hey, Izu!"

His smile grew as he heard Mina's voice calling out to him. Turning around, he saw her running towards him, waving enthusiastically. He let her catch up, bracing himself for the incoming tackle-hug.

It still nearly knocked him off his feet.

The couple continued walking, hands held. Mina seemed to be in a particularly good mood as she swung her arm back and forth, taking Izuku's with it. Not that he minded, of course; he was just glad to see her look so happy.

"Ohmygosh, this is so exciting!" She squealed with delight as they walked. "I wonder what they'll look like? How big will they be? Oh! Do you think there'll be a pool?" The bubbly girl fired off question after question at Izuku, far too many for him to answer.

"Uh..." He had forgotten just how much energy Mina could have sometimes. She hadn't really had a chance to be so carefree the past week or so.

"Sorry, sorry…" She took a deep breath, relaxing a little. "I'm just really looking forward to this-Woah!"

As they rounded the corner, the two students stopped in place as their jaws dropped. Before them were the newly constructed U.A. dorms, their new homes for the time being. They were a pair of 4-story buildings with fairly elaborate architecture.

"They're huge!" Mina exclaimed, marveling at the structures. "They built all this is less than a week?"

"Well, Cementoss is one of the teachers," Izuku pointed out. The dorms had been constructed only a few days ago, created in response to the League of Villains' attack.

They gawked at the buildings for a few more moments before Mina practically ran the rest of the way towards them, dragging her boyfriend along with her.

* * *

Mina put her hands on her hips, standing triumphantly as she admired her work. It had taken a few hours, but she had finally finished unpacking her belongings and had made her room, as she would say, "cute as hell".

Of course, anyone else would probably find the mis-match of leopard print, cheetah spots, and hearts that decorated her room to be confusing and tacky. But those people just had no taste.

Despite the amount of time and effort setting up her room had taken, the pink girl was still brimming with energy. She had already been amped about moving into the dorms, but after actually seeing inside them that excitement had only grown. Evidently, U.A had not skimped on the budget; the building had a massive common space with a kitchen, rec room, and separate bath and laundry areas for the girls on and boys. On top of that, each bedroom had its own bathroom, as well as a small balcony. Mina was particularly lucky in this regard; her room was on the top floor, giving her a pretty nice view of the campus.

No pool though. But then again, the training facility had one.

Flopping down on her bed, Mina sighed happily as she stared at the ceiling. However, her smile faded after a few moments.

As peppy as she was, memories of the past week still lingered in her mind. How could they not? She had nearly been killed multiple times, after all. She had come face to face with the single most terrifying villain she would likely every see, and had witnessed the fall of the world's greatest hero.

On top of that, the League was still out there. It was half the reason she and the others moved here in the first place. They may have lost their true leader, but Shigaraki was still dangerous in his own right. They all were. Take Toga, for example; she could disguise as one of Mina's friends, walk right up to her, and do whatever she wanted.

Her whole body shuddered as she imagined it.

"Ah, what am I doing?" She asked herself, shaking her head rapidly. Those sorts of things had been haunting her ever since that day, and didn't seem to be going away any time soon. Not that they should, of course; Mina felt she was right to be afraid. She just couldn't let that fear get to her.

The League of Villains would undoubtedly strike again. Where and when, she didn't know. But what she did know is that next time, she'd be ready for them.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, the horned girl sat up. The others had likely finished unpacking, and she was feeling social.

As she headed out of her room, Mina noticed Uraraka, her one floor-mate, waiting by the elevator.

"Ochako, hi!" She quickly approached her friend.

"Oh, hey Mina. You finish unpacking?" Mina nodded in response.

"Yep! How about you?"

"Oh, I was done awhile ago. I, uh, don't have a lot of stuff." The pink girl frowned as she saw her friend look away. Uraraka wasn't exactly wealthy, as she recalled. "It's… Kinda bare in there, actually."

"Aw, don't say that! I bet it looks great!" Mina tried to cheer the gravity-controlling girl up as the elevator arrived.

"Thanks." Uraraka managed a smile. "First floor?" Her classmate nodded.

They were quiet for a moment as the elevator moved. Mina found herself once again thinking about recent events, and how Uraraka had been one of the ones who had saved her.

In fact, if it hadn't been for her…

"Thanks, by the way," the acid wielder said, looking at her companion.

"Hm?" The brunette girl looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"For… For saving my life." Uraraka's widened at Mina's response. "If you hadn't jumped after me like that, I would probably be…"

"…You don't have to thank me for that, Mina," the shorter girl assured her friend with a smile. "That's what heroes are supposed to do, right? Put their lives on the line for others?" Mina turned her head so she was looking forward.

"Yeah, but still…"

"Besides, I… If I hadn't let that Toga girl get away, she wouldn't have-

"Stop." A pink hand in her face told Uraraka to be quiet. "Don't you go blaming yourself for this now. I had to deal with that enough with Izu." The pink-haired girl was tired of everyone saying what happened was their fault; at the end of the day, it was the villains that were to blame for everything.

"But I… No, you're right."

There was another brief silence as the elevator reached its destination.

"Hey, all that talk about our rooms makes me think…" Uraraka started. "I kinda want to see what everyone else's rooms look like. We should do, like, a group tour or something!" Mina's face brightened.

"Oh! That sounds awesome!" She definitely wanted to see what her classmates' decorating styles were. "We could even make it a competition or something!"

"Uh, I don't know if-

"Come on, let's get the others!" It was too late; Mina had already made up her mind.

It took a little time to gather up the rest of the girls, but with the exception of Tsuyu they all seemed to be on board with the idea. The group headed for the common area, where it appeared the guys had gathered.

Upon spotting Izuku among the others, a mischievous thought crossed Mina's mind. She recalled how embarrassed he had gotten when she had seen the shrine to All Might that was his room at home, and while she hadn't actually seen his dorm room yet, chances were good it was about the same. Something told her he would try to hide some of his merch before showing the room off.

She was going to make sure he wouldn't get the chance.

"Hi boys!" The pink-haired girl greeted as the two groups met. "All set with your rooms?"

"Yep. We're all just relaxin' now," Kaminari answered, waving to the girls.

"Great! Since you're all here, some of us were talking and we got an idea." Mina beamed as this got everyone's attention. "Let's have a room showcase competition! How about it?"

After a moment, a few of the guys voiced their support for the idea. However, it seemed Izuku and Tokoyami were hesitant.

Perfect.

"Cool! We can start with the second floor with… Izu's room!"

As the class headed for the stairs, Mina smirked when she heard Izuku yell out from behind.

"NONONONO, WAIT JUST A MINUTE!"

* * *

"…That was dirty, you know," Izuku mumbled, shoulders slumped as he sat on one of the common area's sofas. Next to him sat Mina. "Starting with me life that."

"Aw, but you looked so cute!" His girlfriend's teasing earned a blush from him. "Besides, everyone seemed to like it… Unlike mine." The girl folded her arms, frowning as she leaned back against the couch. "They just have no sense of style."

"I thought it looked good," Izuku assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't a lie; sure, the decorating was a bit… Disorganized, but it fit Mina's personality very well. Though he could understand why someone who didn't know her like he did might not agree.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"N-No, really, I mean it! I even voted for you!" He didn't know why they were acting like this room contest was such a big deal, but he intended to play along. Mina looked at him with squinted eyes for a second, then relaxed them as she smiled.

"I know, I know. Just being difficult." She leaned in for a quick kiss, which surprisingly did _not_ make Izuku go red in the face at all. The Quirk inheritor had become considerably more comfortable displaying his affection for Mina by now, especially after the camp attack. A kiss felt a lot less nerve-wracking after everything the two of them had gone through, after all.

"I voted for you too, you know," the pink girl added.

"Really? Not Sato?" Sato had ultimately won the room competition, though through perhaps illegitimate means; he had offered cake to the class, which had instantly won all of the girls' votes. Or at least, almost all of them. Mina giggled at his question.

"Well, that cake was sweet, but…"

"…I'm sweeter?" Her look of surprise told Izuku he had correctly guessed her line. He let out an uncharacteristically sly smirk as she pouted.

"It's no fun if you guess it. You're supposed to get all cute and stutter!" She puffed her cheeks out, making her look somehow even cuter than normal to Izuku.

"I must be getting used to it," he said with a shrug. "…Or you're just becoming predictable," he added with a wink. This caught Mina off guard; for once, she was the one blushing, if only a little. It only lasted a second or two before she recovered.

"Sheesh, when did _you_ get so sassy?" She playfully shoved him, earning a laugh from Izuku. "Guess I'm not the only one learning stuff. I'm gonna have to step my game up…"

Uh oh. Izuku did not like the sound of that.

Before he could do anything, though, Mina suddenly rolled over so that she was on top of him, pinning him to the couch. Her knees were on his legs as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Ah!" Izuku flailed his arms, trying to comprehend what just happened. "M-M-Mina, what a-are you d-doing!?" His face was positively glowing.

"That's better." She wore a devilish grin as she spoke. Her trapped boyfriend's eyes darted around the room frantically, thanking the powers that be that nobody was around to see this… For the moment.

"M-Mina, s-s-someone could… Mmph!" He didn't have a chance to finish her lips silenced him. His mind went into a panic as she held the kiss, her hands snaking down his back.

Memories of their last night at camp flashed in his head. The two of them alone in the woods, lips crashing together as tongues wrestled. His hands slowly crawling up her shirt…

Without thinking, Izuku pushed Mina away, forcing them to separate. He stared up at her wide-eyed, arms outstretched with his hands on her shoulders, panting slightly. There was a mixture of surprise and regret in her eyes.

"I…. I'm sorry, just…" He shut his eyes, inhaling deeply. "Th-that one night at the camp… After that fight with Bakugou." They had never actually talked about their close encounter that evening. "We… I did some things that…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"…I understand." Mina said with a sigh. "I'm… Sorry, I shouldn't have… I didn't think…"

"N-No, it's not your fault," Izuku insisted, looking back up at her. There was, of course, a part of him that wanted to keep going. "I just… I never apologized for…" He gulped. "T…Touching you like that." He averted his gaze, ashamed to even mention it. He had completely lost himself in that moment.

A hand caressed his cheek.

"…It's okay, Izu."

The boy looked up as Mina spoke in a soft voice. She wasn't exactly smiling, but she didn't look unhappy either.

"Look, we both weren't really acting like ourselves. We were tired, frustrated, stressed, and… Ugh. That was just a shitty day." She sighed again, shaking her head. "I… I understand why that all happened. I'm not upset about it or anything."

Izuku felt relief hearing that. It was true he hadn't exactly been in a normal state of mind when they had started that kiss. Still, he had no idea what Mina had thought of it all until now, and learning she wasn't mad about it made him feel a lot better about the whole thing.

"…Besides, it's not like I didn't enjoy it…"

They were both blushing as Mina murmured this, a sheepish smile on her face. Izuku felt a lump in his throat.

"I mean… That was really sudden, yeah, but… You _are_ my boyfriend." She leaned in closer as she said this. It was at this point Izuku realized he hadn't actually made any effort to get her off him.

His heart was pounding, but he couldn't deny his feelings. As long as he didn't completely lose it this time…

He glanced around; they were still the only ones in the room.

…Maybe just a few minutes.

His hands slid over her shoulders and down her back as he wrapped his arms around her midriff as the gap between their lips closed once again. He let himself relax as she threw her arms around his neck, pushing her body up against his as the kiss deepened. Unlike before, he was still thinking (mostly) straight, not letting himself completely give into his urges. Their kissing was passionate, but not rough and messy like last time.

He felt Mina's lips part as a soft sound escaped them; an invitation. After a moment of hesitation, Izuku let his tongue start to enter her mouth, and…

"HOLY SHIT!" A sudden shout shattered the intimate moment the couple was sharing like glass. Mina quickly pulled away from Izuku as the two turned toward where the voice had come from.

Mineta and Kaminari had just entered the common area, and were currently gawking at them with their jaws agape.

For a moment, Izuku felt like he had actually caught on fire.

Mina, equally flustered, practically fell to the floor as she scrambled to get off Izuku's lap, collapsing next to him on the couch.

"Dude… Way to go, Midoriya!" Kaminari managed to recover from his stupor, beaming as he gave the scarlet-faced boy two thumbs up. Mineta was still in shock at what he had seen; he seemed to be drooling a bit. "Didn't you think you had it-Oof!"

A pillow was whipped at his head, nearly knocking him off his feet. "Ow! What was that… Oh crap."

Mina was standing now, a murderous look in her eyes as she glared at the two students. Her face was magenta, but clearly due to anger rather than embarrassment.

"Uh… I-I mean…"

"RETREAT!" Mineta suddenly sprang to life, sensing the impending danger. The pair took off, Mina not far behind.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVS!"

Izuku was left sitting on the sofa, wide-eyed as he stared blankly at the wall.

* * *

Mina could still feel some heat in her cheeks as she ate. Next to her, Izuku poked at his food, not daring to look at anyone. They were surrounded by the rest of their class as they all sat around the dorm's kitchen area, enjoying a sizeable meal.

Before she was able to pound her class's resident perverts into the ground, they explained they were simply gathering people for a class-wide dinner. Kirishima had mentioned something about treating everyone to a barbeque that evening, and it seemed he was following through on that.

Mina still wasn't entirely convinced they hadn't been looking for her and Izuku in order to peep, but she let them go unscathed.

She was beginning to regret that.

It seemed one of them – likely Mineta – had told a good portion of the class about what they had seen. As a result, the couple was the main topic of discussion that evening.

"No way… Midoriya was doing _what_?" Mina overheard Sero.

"That's sooo romantic!" Tooru sighed dreamily. Mina sighed, trying to tune it out.

"Look guys, I swear it wasn't me!" Kaminari, who was sitting across from her and Izuku, had been frantically apologizing the whole meal. "Honest!"

"Whatever," Mina growled.

"Boy, you really stepped it in this time," Jirou, who was next to Mina, remarked at her electrifying friend. She didn't seem to care much about the gossip, much to Mina's gratitude.

"I must agree. Such a violation of privacy is hardly becoming of a U.A. student, Kaminari," Iida sat beside Izuku, lecturing his classmate.

"Violating priva…They were making out on the damn couch!" Kaminari shouted a little louder than he intended to. He clapped a hand over his mouth after realizing what he just said, looking at Mina with fear. Jirou snorted with laughter as the pink girl glared daggers at the blonde. Izuku buried his beet-red face in his hands.

"…Is that so?" Iida turned towards Izuku. "…Midoriya, Ashido, I understand you two have feelings for each other, but there is a time and place for-

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" Everyone winced as Bakugou's voice roared out. He had, much to most of the class's surprise, sat down across from Mina and Izuku, next to Kaminari. "I can barely hear myself fucking think with all your yammering. Who gives a shit who did what? Let's just eat, damnit."

The room was quiet for a moment. Eventually, conversations picked up again, though quieter and about other topics. It seemed nobody wanted to invoke Bakugou's wrath.

The acid wielding student looked at her explosive classmate for a moment, silently thanking him for that outburst. He had actually been surprisingly mellow all day (mellow for him, anyway), and the fact that he had willingly sat so close to Izuku of all people was certainly odd.

Just what was going through his head, she wondered?

Deciding not to dwell on it much, she resumed her meal.

* * *

Izuku shut his bedroom door, rubbing his temples as he walked over to his bed, sitting down. His first day at the dorms had certainly been… Eventful.

He knew doing that sort of thing in the public space was a bad idea.

He was honestly surprised at how comfortable he was with the whole thing, at least up until he and Mina had been interrupted. Part of him felt a little ashamed at how little that kind of behavior bothered him, but for the most part he felt okay with it.

Because like Mina had said, she was his girlfriend. And he was her boyfriend.

Despite the fact that it had been only been about two weeks since they first started dating, it felt considerably longer Izuku. That may have come from how much had happened in the past week; all that hardship they had faced seemed to have strengthened their bond.

It wasn't just a in a physical sense. While it was true they were clearly becoming more intimate with each other, that stemmed from the fact that they had grown emotionally closer. It was why just the sight of Mina made Izuku smile, why he was constantly thinking of her. It was that strengthened bond, that trust that allowed him to act so comfortably around her.

A knock at his door grabbed the One for All inheritor's attention. Walking up to his door, he checked the peephole to see who it was.

He frowned when he saw Mineta.

Izuku wasn't mad at him, per say, but he certainly wasn't happy to see him. The lecherous student had caused a lot of stress for him today, and he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with anymore antics.

Still, he wasn't about to just ignore him, so he opened to door.

"Hi Mineta."

"Hey Midoriya," The purple-topped boy greeted. "Got a minute?"

"Sure. What is it-hey!" Upon being answered, the pint-sized pervert pushed past Izuku and entered his room. "What are you-

"Shut the door." The taller student didn't like where this was going, but he obliged his classmate. Taking a deep breath, Mineta spoke.

"Look man, I'm sorry about earlier. We honestly weren't trying to peep or anything, we just kinda walked in and saw you." It was rare for him to apologize about anything, so Izuku didn't think he was lying. "And uh… Yeah, my bad telling people about it. It just sort of slipped out."

So it _was_ him.

"It's… It's fine, Mineta, really. Just…" Izuku sighed. "Try not to do it again? Please?"

"You got it. Also, I wanted to give you something," the grape-themed student reached into a sizeable pants pocket. "As part of my apology."

Now Izuku was _really_ nervous. What kind of gift should he expect from someone like Mineta?

"N-No, really, it's fine, you don't have to-

"Here you go!" The short student held his present out to his hallmate. The freckled boy studied it, unsure of what it was for a second. "You're probably gonna need these more than me."

His face turned pale once he realized what he was staring at.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh…" He couldn't get a word out. For the second time that day, he felt as if he might faint on the spot. "WHHHHHAAAAAAT!?"

Sitting in Mineta's hand was a box of condoms.

"Huh? What's wrong?" He asked as Izuku leapt over to his door, locking it.

"Wh-Why are you giving me those!?" The flustered boy asked in a loud whisper. "M-Mina and I aren't… We don't… I'm not…" His brain simply could not handle what he was looking at.

"I know, I know." Mineta held up his hands as he tried to explain. "I get it, you and Ashido aren't doing it right now." Hearing him actually say it caused Izuku's face to change from white to red in seconds. "But come on man, you can't seriously tell me it's not gonna happen. After what I saw?"

"I… Bwuh!?" Izuku was lost. Was this real? Had he just fallen asleep and was a having a Mineta-centric nightmare?

"Ashido's clearly like, crazy in love with you man. You're gonna need these soon, trust me."

The panicked student completely froze. He was completely silent as he stared bug-eyed at his perverted classmate.

…Love?

Taking his unmoving silence as acceptance to what he was saying, Mineta smiled before walking up to him and sticking the box in his hand. He patted Izuku on the back.

"You can thank me later. Good luck!" Giving a thumbs-up, he unlocked the door and left the room, leaving Izuku standing in complete shock.

What had he just said? He thought Mina was… In love?

…Love?

Just thinking the word made Izuku grow tense. He hadn't thought about this sort of thing since he had talked to All Might about revealing One for All to Mina.

Love.. Did Mina truly feel that for him?

…Did he feel it for her?

Could he even know what that felt like? Was it possible to truly be in love after only a couple weeks?

Love…

As Izuku pondered the emotion, he became aware of an object in his hand. Looking at it, he yelped as he remembered what Mineta had given him, nearly dropping it on the floor. He scrambled over to his trash bin, practically spiking the box into it.

He didn't even to begin to think about… _That_.

Shaking his head, the young student decided to get ready for bed. Before long, he was in in his pajamas and under his covers.

A single word kept repeating in his head before he eventually drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Dorms hijinks are fun, let me tell you. And there will be more to come for sure. There was a lot of hopping around this chapter, mostly setting the, well, setting for this part of the story. Hope you all enjoyed!


	20. The L-word

Morning update (for me anyway), let's go.

* * *

Mina checked over her list for what must have been the 5th time in the last minute, trying to make sure she had gotten everything.

"Let's see… Porkchops, check… Onion, check… Panko… Oh, shoot." Noticing a distinct lack of bread crumbs in her cart, the pink-skinned girl began searching for the appropriate aisle. She was currently at a grocery store, acquiring ingredients for what she hoped would be a nice meal that evening.

Whether or not it was depended entirely on her.

It didn't take long to find the panko. Adding it to her cart, Mina checked over her shopping list once again. Upon confirming she had everything, she began making her way toward the checkout. Along the way, she checked the time on her phone.

4:30. They'd be back soon.

Taking another look at the number of items in her cart, Mina began to feel anxious. Could she do this? She had helped her parents in the kitchen numerous times, but she wouldn't exactly consider herself an experienced cook. Of course, she wouldn't be so nervous if she was only making dinner for herself.

Why couldn't her boyfriend's favorite food be just a bit simpler?

Katsudon wasn't a particularly tough dish to prepare, but it was certainly more complex than anything Mina had ever made. Still, it couldn't be that bad right? She had a recipe, after all. She just needed to follow it and everything would be fine.

Right?

Sighing, the antsy girl thought back to the reason she was even doing this in the first place.

It had been a little over a week since she and the rest of U.A.'s hero course moved onto the school campus. Unsurprisingly, the staff hadn't given the students any time to slack off, even with everything that had happened. Quirk extension training continued the day after everyone moved in, though without the extra remedial lessons; either Aizawa felt his flunkies had improved enough, or he had decided they deserved some mercy after the villain attack.

Either way, Mina was happy. And while she had wanted a little more time to rest before getting back into the thick of things, she was enjoying the training. On top of Quirk extension, she and the others were beginning to develop their own "super moves" to help with the upcoming license exam. She was still developing hers, but there were still about three weeks to the exam (it was originally scheduled for tomorrow, the last day of summer break, but everything with the League of Villains had caused it to be delayed).

Fortunately, unlike the boot camp, the students had actual free time in the late afternoon and evening. Most nights were spent simply relaxing around the dorms with friends, especially since early training made late nights out a bad idea. Mina had enjoyed her classmates' company, actually taking the opportunity to get better acquainted with some of the people she didn't know as well on top of hanging out with her usual group.

But of course, the bulk of her free time was spent with Izuku.

Not a day went by without the two of them doing _something_ together, whether it be studying, playing one of Mina's many video games, checking out Izuku's extensive collection of hero memorabilia, or just snuggling up on the couch and watching TV. By now the rest of the class had gotten used to seeing the dorm's resident couple, though teasing had persisted for a few days after the… Incident… During move-in day.

While Mina enjoyed every moment with her geeky boyfriend, one moment that had really stuck out was the morning she came down to the kitchen to find Izuku had prepared a nice breakfast for the two of them: Natto and okra over rice, Mina's favorite.

She'd nearly crushed him to death that morning.

It was such a simple gesture, but it had meant a lot to the horned girl. Now she wanted to return the favor and surprise Izuku with _his_ favorite dish. Unfortunately, katsudon was a bit more complicated than some beans with chopped veggies, so it had required a little planning on her end.

For starters, she needed time to buy everything and prepare the food, which would take a few hours. During that time she needed to be sure Izuku was busy, as this whole thing was meant to be a surprise. To do that, she had asked some of their mutual friends to keep him out of the dorms while she got things ready, specifically Kirishima, Uraraka, and Tsuyu (she trusted them to not accidentally tip Izuku off).

Opting to use a self-checkout, Mina quickly scanned and purchased her items before exiting the grocery store. U.A. was within walking distance of the shop, and she began heading in its direction at a brisk pace. All that was left was the cooking.

In other words, the hard part.

She realized she shouldn't be getting so worked up about this. This wasn't some big, important event or anything; all she was doing was cooking dinner for her boyfriend. And even if it didn't turn out good, Izuku was the sort of guy who'd still eat it with a smile on his face. Mina had been with him long enough to know that.

Still, she wanted this to turn out as nicely as possible. This was a way for her to show how much she cared about him. How much she appreciated him.

They had been together for nearly four weeks at this point, but it felt _so_ much longer than that. The experiences they'd shared, the trials they'd faced… They had dealt with a lot for a couple of high school students. But because of that, Mina felt her bond with Izuku had grown that much more. What had once been simple infatuation for the boy had begun to blossom into something… More.

Something like love.

The thought of the "L-word" made her chest tighten. It had been on her mind the last few days, but she still hadn't gotten used the idea.

Mina had never been in love, of course, so she couldn't know if that's what she was feeling. But at the same time, what else could it be? Why else could just the mere thought of Izuku put a smile on her face? Why else did being beside him make her feel like the happiest girl on the planet?

Why else could she feel she could trust him more than anyone?

The girl sighed. She wanted to tell Izuku the full extent of her feelings… But at the same time, she was scared. Many a relationship were ended by a premature confession of love. What if Izuku didn't quite feel the same way yet? She knew he cared about her greatly, but she also knew how much he could struggle with his emotions. He had gotten better about it, yes, but deep down he was still the same Izuku.

If he was having the same sort of thoughts she had been having, he likely didn't feel as sure about it all as she did. She didn't want to put him on the spot by suddenly telling him she loved him.

No, as much as she wanted to say it, she would wait until she was certain he felt the same. She'd take things at his speed, like they had been doing since the beginning.

* * *

Uraraka felt a buzz in her pocket as she looked over the blueprints of potential costume designs. Pulling out her phone, she saw she had received a text from Mina.

"back at the dorm can you keep him busy for like 30 more minutes?"

The brunette looked over at Izuku, who was excitedly discussing many, _many_ costume ideas with the ever-eager Mei Hatsume. She looked back at her phone.

"I don't think that will be problem." She typed back.

"gr8 thx!"

Uraraka, along with Tsuyu and Kirishima, had been asked to help distract Izuku for the afternoon while Mina prepared what she had called "a surprise romantic dinner" for him. They had all agreed, wanting to help their friend out. Uraraka had suggested they all look into some additional improvements for their hero costumes (mostly to avoid going out and spending money), something Izuku was all for. The four of them had been bouncing ideas off each other and some of the support class members for a good while now, and it didn't look like Izuku was slowing down any time soon.

"He's really into this stuff," Kirishima said with a laugh. He and Tsuyu were standing nearby, also observing the green-haired boy's energetic conversation. He was currently showing Hatsume one of his notebooks.

"Well, our mission was to keep him busy," Tsuyu pointed out. "Though, I'm starting to worry we won't be able to get him to leave, ribbit."

"Oh come on, he can't keep this up for _that_ much longer… Right?" Kirishima seemed to doubt himself.

"This _is_ Midoriya we're talking about," the frog girl noted.

It was true Izuku could sometimes be… Excessive when it came to hero stuff, but it was that passion that made him who he was.

It was what had drawn Uraraka to him so much in the first place.

The gravity manipulator sighed but smiled. She still had feelings for the boy of course, but she no longer held any hint of resentment toward him or Mina. What mattered was that he – that both of them – were happy. Where before she would feel pain seeing them together, she now felt joy.

Because she was their friend. And friends supported each other, no matter what.

* * *

Mina had barely started and already the kitchen was a mess. Drippings of pork juice were all over the stove top, and there was flour and rice all over the counter. She was currently staring at the skillet she had oiled, waiting for it to heat.

"Uh… Okay, so I got the rice cooking, the pork breaded… Uh, I guess it's hot enough now?" Holding her hand out over the skillet, the amateur chef felt a good amount of heat. Deciding it was ready, she set the porkchops onto the pan.

…And yelped as a few drops of hot oil leapt out, hitting her arm.

"Ow!" She drew her arm back, nearly knocking the skillet over in the process, rubbing it. The oil bubbled and cracked violently as the pork began to fry, several drops jumping out of the pan onto the stove. Something about it didn't seem right...

Had she seriously already messed up?

"The hell are you doing in here!?" An irritated voice got the girl's attention, who turned around to see Bakugou standing behind her. He was looking over the soiled countertop with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"J…Just cooking dinner, that's all," Mina answered, not really in the mood to deal with the explosive student right now. The hissing from the hot oil was growing louder.

"Well clean this shit up when you're done, I need to-What the fuck!?" Seeing the stove, Bakugou's eyes widened in shock. "You fucking crazy? You don't set the heat that high with pork!" Before Mina could do or say anything, the blonde had suddenly acquired an oven mitt, pushed her aside, and pulled the skillet off the stove top as he turned the heat down. Realizing he had literally forced her out of her spot, the pink girl glared.

"Hey, what the hell!?" Setting the skillet down on another part of the stove, Bakugou glared back at her.

"Seriously, do any of you idiots know how to…" He trailed off as he looked over the rest of the ingredients Mina had out. His gaze softened ever so slightly. "You're making katsudon, aren't you?" Mina was surprised at his deduction. It seemed 1A's resident hothead had a fair bit of kitchen experience.

"…Yeah, I am. Why?" She was a bit confused why Bakugou even cared.

"…Let me guess, for Deku, right?" The tiniest smirk appeared on his face. "That stuff was always his favorite." He backed up, allowing his classmate to take her spot back. She placed the skillet back on the stove, the lowered heat allowing the pork to fry less aggressively.

It was weird hearing him talking about Izuku with such a calm tone. Well, calm for Bakugou anyway.

"…Yeah, it is." Bakugou had been acting a lot more mellow ever since the class had moved to the dorms. He was still quick to anger and was as vulgar as ever, he didn't lash out at his classmates as often. In particular, Mina hadn't seen him say a word to Izuku one way or the other, which was frankly a lot better than how he was treating her boyfriend before. The same went for her; this was the first time they'd really spoken since the hospital.

What was going through his head lately, she wondered?

"He likes it extra crispy, if you didn't know." Mina turned around again to look at him, a puzzled look on her face. "At least, he used to."

"…I did know that, actually. But, uh… Thanks." She turned around, unsure why he had said that.

"Hmph." Bakugou started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. "Oh hey, one other thing." Mina looked back at him; he still had his back to her. "…Deku's Quirk… He ever talk about when he got it?" She raised an eyebrow at this. Why did he want to know that?

"He told me it was sometime after he finished middle school. It's why he was so bad at controlling it at first."

"…That's all?"

"Yeah, that's all he's told me." She paused. "Why do you even care?"

"So it was after that…" Bakugou muttered to himself, not answering her. Without another word, he left the kitchen. Mina opened her mouth to call out after him, but decided not to bother.

It wasn't like it was some deep, dark secret that Izuku was a late bloomer. Everyone had more or less assumed that based on the fact that he was so bad at controlling it. Of course, the fact that his Quirk didn't develop until, like, a year ago was incredibly strange. Mina had never heard of anything like it, but she didn't see the big deal. Quirks were just weird like that.

Still, Bakugou's behavior just now was unusual. She'd never really seen him talk about Izuku like that, except maybe back at the hospital. No insults, no anger… He was actually acting like he had been friends with the guy at some point.

Mina thought back to the last conversation she had with the blonde. She had learned a lot about how he felt about her boyfriend that day, how their relationship was just a bit more complicated than a bully-victim thing.

Was he finally starting to realize how wrong he'd been? Had she managed to convince him that him thinking Izuku had been looking down on him all those years was ludicrous?

"…Wait, crap!"

Realizing she was supposed to flip the pork about 2 minutes ago, Mina pushed the thoughts about Bakugou out of her head, turning her attention back to cooking.

* * *

It was nearly 6 o'clock when Izuku returned to the dorm. He felt a little relieved as he stepped into the building he now called home; he had barely been here all day.

Training for the license exam took up the entire morning as well as a bit of the afternoon. He and the others were still working on strengthening their Quirks, which required more and more time pushing them past their limits. On top of that, there was the whole "super move" thing.

In Izuku's case, he had begun developing a more unique fighting style. Up until now he had been copying All Might, to the point where he was using the same attack names. The former wielder of his Quirk had even pointed this out, insisting his student stop trying to imitate him. And so, Shoot Style was born, Izuku's new kick-based method of attacking. He was still working on fine-tuning it, of course, but it was proving to be effective so far.

As he thought of All Might, the freckled boy frowned.

He had known his idol's days as a hero were numbered ever since he received One for All. He had known that eventually the age of All Might would come to an end. That didn't make it much easier to deal with when it actually happened, though.

Still, he had already grieved for the "death" of his hero. He couldn't let it continue to keep him down; after all, as All Might himself had said, Izuku was next. He needed to keep his head held high and continue to go beyond so that one day, he too could inspire peace and hope in people everywhere.

Unfortunately, none of his classmates knew that. Which is why, to avoid making them suspicious, he needed to exaggerate his feelings a little. He was the biggest All Might fan around, after all, so witnessing his fall should have had a big effect on him, right?

The toughest part was acting like he was just as surprised by All Might's weakened form as everyone else. It had been a frequent topic of conversation among the dorms, and he had to play along every time it came up.

He hated how easy lying had become for him. But he couldn't risk anyone finding out the truth, either. He had made a promise, after all, and he couldn't break it for anyone.

Not even Mina.

"Midoriya? You in there?" Kirishima's voice drew Izuku's attention. The shorter boy quickly realized he had been standing in the entryway, lost in thought for the past minute or so.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, just… Just thinking."

"What, about more costume stuff? We were there for like 2 hours man," the spiky-haired redhead said with a laugh. Tsuyu and Uraraka had gone back to their side of the building, so it was just the two guys.

Almost immediately after training, Izuku had been approached by Kirishima, Tsuyu, and Uraraka to spend some time working on costume improvements. Naturally, the hero fanboy was all for the idea, despite his exhaustion from training. He actually would have stayed longer if his friends hadn't pointed out it was dinner time.

At the thought of food, Izuku's stomach rumbled. He _was_ pretty hungry…

"Well, I'm heading back to my room for a bit. See you later, dude." Kirishima said goodbye to his friend before walking off. Izuku, desiring food, made his way toward the kitchen area.

His mind drifted back to Mina as he walked. Living with her had been as wonderful as he had imagined; not a day had gone by where the two of them hadn't spent some time together, even if it was with a group. They'd study, play games, watch movies… One day Mina had even tried to give him a crash course in break-dancing, which went about as well as one could expect. Still, as embarrassing as it had been, he had loved every minute of it.

Love.

Izuku stopped in his tracks for a second as the word echoed in his head. It had been on his mind all week, creeping into his thoughts whenever Mina was on his brain.

" _Do you love her?"_

It was a question that, in all honesty, he still wasn't sure he could answer. It was true he cared greatly about Mina, and that she made him feel like the luckiest guy on the planet, but at the same time… It hadn't even been 4 weeks. Could he really call what he was feeling love at this point? He obviously had no frame of reference aside from familial love, which was a completely different thing.

It bothered him because he wanted to be absolutely sure before he ever told Mina those three words. What if he said it without truly feeling that way? He would be lying to her, and he had done enough of that as it was. Still, how could he know that he knew? How could one be certain of something as nebulous as love? Was it even _possible_?

Sometimes he hated how his mind worked. Trying to analyze emotions like this was impossible.

Maybe he should ask someone. His mom, maybe?

As he entered the kitchen, a familiar aroma filled the boy's nostrils, making him forget his musings. Looking up, he let out a gasp.

The kitchen was a bit a mess, to say the least. Various ingredients and appliances sat on the counter with no real organization to them. Someone had clearly been cooking a decently elaborate meal.

That someone being Mina.

She stood by the stove with her back to him, clad in an apron as she fiddled with something. Becoming aware of his presence, she turned her head to look at him, flashing a toothy grin.

"Hiya, cutie!" She greeted. "Hope you're hungry!" She stepped to the side, revealing a pair of large bowls. Recovering from his surprise, Izuku approached her.

"M-Mina, what did you…" His eyes lit up when he got a better look at the bowls. "You made katsudon!" He thought that was what he smelled, but he wasn't completely sure. Looking around the kitchen, it was evident she had made this all from scratch, something Izuku knew wasn't the simplest task.

He looked at his girlfriend with amazement. She knew this was his favorite… Had she really done this for him?

"Had to pay you back for Wednesday morning," Mina said, winking.

"Th-That's why you made this?" Izuku had prepared a some natto with okra for her earlier this week, but that was a far simpler thing to make; it had taken him all of 20 minutes, and most of that was waiting for rice.

"Well, that and I just thought it'd just be fun to do," the pink chef added, picking up a bowl. "Come on already, I'm starving!" Izuku grabbed his own bowl, his mouth watering at the sight of the pork dish. The pair sat down at a table, which Mina had already taken the liberty of setting.

"You… You really didn't have to do all this," The green-haired boy almost felt guilty she had gone through so much trouble for his sake.

"No, but like I said, I wanted to." His companion paused. "I'm just glad the others were able to keep you busy." Her boyfriend's eyes went wide.

"Wait… You planned all this?" The timing had seemed pretty convenient; she was just finishing up as he arrived. He had wondered why the other three were so insistent on getting him out of the dorms…

"Yep! Wasn't easy, let me tell you. This stuff takes a while to make." Her smile suddenly faded as she looked away slightly. "Er… I've never made it before. Hopefully you like it." She didn't sound too confident. Deciding to put her worries to rest, Izuku took the first bite. Mina watched with anticipation.

…

"Mmmm!" She let out a sigh of relief as he went in for another mouthful.

Izuku would admit it wasn't perfect. Mina obviously wasn't a professional chef, after all.

Not that that mattered. The fact that she, his girlfriend, had made this for him for no other reason than to show her affection made it the best thing he had ever tasted.

To some, it may not have seemed like a huge deal. But to Izuku, having someone do something like this for him out of the kindness of their heart was…

Well, he certainly wasn't used to it.

"…You're the best, you know that?" He asked between bites.

"Yeah, I do." They both shared a laugh.

God, Izuku could never get enough of that laugh.

They had a rather chatty dinner, talking about their days. Mina had made some serious progress on her special moves; apparently, she had found a way to increase the viscosity of her acid so much that it formed a gel-like substance. With enough of it, she could form a surprisingly powerful barrier of sorts.

"I'm thinking of calling it something like 'The Wall of Pain'!" The acidic girl waved held out her hands as she said the name.

"Uh… That sounds kind of violent. What about something like 'Acid Wall'?" Mina scoffed at Izuku's suggestion.

"Dude, you have no imagination!" She thought for a second. "But… Yeah, 'Wall of Pain' sounds like a villain kinda thing… Hm…" Stroking her chin for a moment, she suddenly snapped her fingers her face brightened. "Ooh, ooh, what about… 'Acid Veil'?"

"Oh, that sounds good!" It certainly had a bit more character than his idea.

"Then it's settled!"

Conversations like that continued until they finished their meal. Once they were done, Izuku helped Mina clean up the rather impressive mess she had made.

"Ah, that's much better," Mina said as they finished, looking over the now spotless kitchen. "Honestly, it looks better than it did before I starte-Oh!" She let out a small cry of surprise as Izuku suddenly hugged her from behind.

"…Thank you, Mina," he said quietly, planting a kiss on her cheek. His arms were wrapped loosely around her midriff, giving her enough space to turn around so she was facing him. She said nothing as she set her arms on his shoulders as they gazed at one another longingly. Slowly, the space between them lessened as their lips drew closer and closer… Only to stop just before meeting.

Izuku pulled away, a red tint on his face. He still vividly remembered move-in day. Mina seemed to recall as well, judging by the color in her cheeks.

"Uh… Maybe we should go upstairs?" She suggested. Her boyfriend's blush deepened, but he nodded.

It wasn't like this was the first time this had happened…

* * *

"Mmm… Oooh…"

Mina let out a soft, muffled moan as her tongue explored Izuku's mouth. He was sitting on her bed, back against the wall and his girlfriend kneeling in his lap. Her hands were cradling his head as held her sides, hands running up and down her back as they made out. The sound of smacking lips was occasionally interrupted by a pause for breath.

Not every evening led to this sort of thing, but this certainly wasn't the first time they had retreated to one of their rooms for some privacy.

Mina could feel the heat radiating off of Izuku's face. His shyness was apparent, but he had still gotten used to taking things to this level. He had, once or twice, gotten oddly bold and let one of his hands travel south, though he had fervently apologized after.

Not that Mina minded. She _did_ have a nice butt, after all.

She had been tempted many times to push things even further, but she knew Izuku wasn't comfortable doing anything past this yet.

Yet.

They finally separated after a solid 20 minutes or so, panting heavily as they looked at each other. Mina leaned in just enough so that their foreheads touched, rubbing her nose against the red-faced boy.

She could feel the words on the tip of her tongue. She forced herself not to say them.

"N…Now what?" Izuku asked between breaths. Mina sat up, thinking. "Movie?" She suggested. The warm, hearty meal and "workout" she'd just had were making her feel a bit lethargic, though it was much too early for bed.

"Okay, sure. Any ideas?" A smirk crossed the pink girl's lips.

"…Alien." Her smirk grew as she saw some of the color drain from Izuku's face.

"B-But… D-Didn't you say that's super scary?" Unsurprisingly, horror was not something he handled well. Mina giggled.

"Oh, it's not _that_ bad. Besides, I'll be right here if you get too scared, kay?"

"…Okay."

"AH!" Izuku screamed as he huddled against Mina. They were now laying on her bed together, watching the film on her laptop. They were at the climax, where the main character thought she had successfully escaped the monster, only for it to surprise her on the escape pod.

Izuku's cry of fear was in response to that reveal.

"Dude, you're missing it!" Mina tried to get her boyfriend to look at the screen, wanting him to see the climatic end.

As the movie concluded, she turned to look at him, grinning.

"So, cool right?" Izuku stared at her, still tense from the film.

"That… _That's_ what inspired your hero name?" He asked with a look of disbelief.

"No, silly. The queen's in the second film. She's like, waaaay bigger and has this huge head and all these arms and… You okay, dude?" Izuku's face was quite pale.

"Y-Yeah, f-fine." His voice was a bit shaky. Shutting her laptop, Mina yawned.

"Mmm… Think it's about time for bed. You want me to walk back to your room with you?" The boy's face turned from pale to red as he looked away.

"Um… A-Actually, I was… Um… Maybe I could… Stay here tonight?" Mina was a bit surprised by the request. They actually hadn't spent a night together yet.

"…Oh Izu, how bold!" She couldn't resist teasing, causing the red in Izuku's cheeks to spread to his whole face.

"N-No, I d-didn't mean…!" He frantically waved his arms. "I just… I'm…" He mumbled something.

"Hm?"

"…'mscared."

"Come again?" The boy squeezed his eyes shut.

"I'm… Scared."

Mina had to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. Izuku Midoriya, the guy who had taken on truly terrifying villains multiple times without hesitation, was too afraid of a movie monster to sleep alone.

God, she loved this boy.

"Oh my god, you are such a dork." She shook her head, smiling. "…Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from the big, bad alien." Izuku sighed, knowing she wasn't going to let this go anytime soon. She held up her plushie of the Alien monster. "And Ami will help! Right, Ami?" She made the toy nod as best as she could. Her boyfriend couldn't help but crack a smile at the display.

The two got ready for bed, Izuku opting to borrow some of Mina's pajamas. Soon they were under the covers, snuggled together.

"…You just wanted to cuddle, didn't you?" The pink girl asked.

"…Maybe," Izuku admitted, earning a small laugh from his girlfriend.

"At least you're honest." As usual. "That's okay, I would've asked if you hadn't." She softly kissed his lips. "Well… Night."

"Goodnight…"

After a few minutes, Izuku was sound asleep. For a while, Mina appeared to be as well, but she eventually opened her eyes.

"…Hey, Izu?" She whispered. No response. "Izu?" She spoke a bit louder. Still nothing; he was definitely out cold.

Once she confirmed this, she leaned in for another small kiss.

"…I love you."

She knew he couldn't hear her, but just saying the words out loud made her heart flutter. Snuggling even closer to him, she soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Another one down! We're actually getting pretty close to the end here, probably a good 3-4 chapters left. See you next time.


	21. Secrets

And another one.

* * *

Lying on his back, Izuku's eyebrows furrowed as the sound of his alarm woke him from his dreams. Groaning, he reached out for his phone and silenced the incessant beeping and sat up. Or at least, he attempted to, but a weight on his chest prevented him from doing so. Craning his neck to look, he saw a mass of pink hair blocking his view of his chest. Mina was currently fast asleep, clutching his arm as she used his chest as a pillow. There was a smile on her face.

For a moment, Izuku was incredibly confused. However, as he began to fully awaken, memories of last night came back to him. A smile appeared on his own face as he some warmth filled his cheeks.

Evidently, Mina was a much heavier sleeper than he was. Deciding to take a bit to enjoy this moment, the groggy boy reached out and gently ran a hand through her hair. She stirred slightly as he gingerly played with her curls, though she remained asleep.

She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. A sereneness that one rarely saw when she was awake and active. As he looked upon her, part of him wanted to just skip training so he could stay with her like this all day. But he knew that wasn't an option; Aizawa would kill them if he found out.

"…Hey Mina?" He whispered, shaking her lightly.

"Nnnn…" The sleeping girl made a sound but didn't wake.

"Mina, it's time to get up." He spoke a little louder this time, shaking her again.

"…Don't wanna…" She muttered in her sleep, her grip now tightening on his arm. Blushing as the temptation to stay in bed grew, Izuku gave a much firmer shake.

Black-and-yellow eyes fluttered open as they gazed into his.

"…Mornin'," Mina mumbled, still half-asleep. Her boyfriend stroked the side of her head.

"We need to get up. Training's in an hour." The girl on his chest let out a small (and adorable) yawn.

"…Five more minutes?" She asked. "Please?". Again, the temptation was definitely there…

"We really shouldn't." Sighing, Mina slowly sat up.

"Fine… But I still get to do this," she said before she gave him a quick kiss. "…You're a good pillow, you know that?" Izuku chuckled. The two eventually got out of bed, Izuku checking to make sure the coast was clear for Mina to leave; he didn't want anyone to see her leaving his room and get the wrong idea.

"Meet you for breakfast?" Mina asked. Izuku nodded.

"Sounds good. See you there." They gave each other another kiss. "…Also, you're really cute when you're sleeping."

For a moment, Mina was caught off guard, a bit of magenta in her cheeks. However, it quickly vanished as she smirked.

"I'm _always_ cute," she said with a wink before heading out the door. Izuku couldn't help but laugh.

Well, she wasn't wrong…

* * *

Gamma Gym was bustling with activity as the students of U.A. trained. It was the last day before the semester truly started, meaning this would be the last time they could dedicate this much time to Quirk extension. Of course, the U.A. staff had every intention of continuing that training all the way up until the exam, but education was just as important.

As usual, the combined hero class had multiple teachers working to assist them. Among them was All Might, though he was mostly there to observe his students' progress as well as offer advice where he could. Though, unsurprisingly, much of his attention was focused on Izuku.

The former Symbol of Peace watched his successor with pride. Izuku was truly began to come into his own. Not only had he learned how to better control One for All, albeit a tiny percentage of it, he was also finally starting to develop his own fighting style. To All Might, seeing his student finally start creating an identity for himself was a wonderful thing; trying to imitate his idol would only get the boy so far.

As he reflected on how much progress his protégé had made, All Might watched as one of Izuku's attacks was intercepted by the Ectoplasm clone he was sparring with, who countered and threw him to the ground.

Izuku had improved immensely, yes, but he clearly still had a long way to go.

All Might continued to observe his class until they were instructed to take a break. During that time, he decided to make his rounds and give some quick feedback to each student individually. It had been something he'd been doing regularly, as he obviously couldn't get directly involved in the training anymore.

There was a _lot_ he couldn't do anymore.

Still, only his body had been broken, not his spirit. He was still a hero at heart, and he had every intention of making sure he did everything in his power to help the next generation become the best heroes they could be.

…Even if he had to covertly carry around a "Teaching for Dummies" book to do so.

"I see your 'Shoot Style' is coming along rather nicely, young Midoriya," All Might said as he reached Izuku. His protégé was currently taking a sizeable gulp from a water bottle as he sat on a bench. He looked up at the retired pro, putting the bottle aside.

"Oh! Um, thank you, All Might." Izuku always seemed a little surprised to hear praise, something All Might wasn't sure he liked. The boy was much too hard on himself sometimes. "It's… Getting there. I'm still struggling with a lot of stuff though." He looked down, almost as if he was ashamed.

"Hey, hey. What have you talked about, huh? Optimism, my boy." The 8th wielder of One for All gave a smile and a thumbs-up. "You've still got a long and difficult road ahead of you, I know. But don't forget how much of it you've already walked. Think about where you are now compared to when you first arrived here." He didn't want to mention anything specific about One for All with so many people around.

"…Right." Izuku looked up, a more determined look on his face.

"That's what I want to see." All Might tried to avoid giving the green-haired boy any special treatment, but the fact of the matter was he had promised to dedicate himself to him. After all, his hero days were no more, giving him plenty of time to be a mentor now.

And because of that, it was imperative now more than ever that Izuku grow stronger.

All for One was defeated, yes, but he seemed to have been training a successor of his own. Shigaraki – along with the rest of the League of Villains – was still out there, and still a major threat to society. The group had carried out two successful attacks on U.A., demonstrating the danger they posed. On top of that, villains were on the rise thanks to Stain's ideology. The Symbol of Peace was no longer around to put society at ease and keep the villains at bay, and heroes everywhere were doing what they could to fill the hole All Might had left.

With things the way they were, Izuku, along with the rest of U.A.'s students, needed to be prepared as best they could. It was why they were even being given the chance to earn provisional licenses in the first place.

"Am I interrupting something?"

All Might was roused from his thoughts about the future to see a familiar pink face.

"Not at all, young Ashido. I was just talking with young Midoriya here about how well his training is going." Mina had, at some point, approached the two One for All wielders, likely to talk with Izuku.

All Might was pleased to see the relationship between the two was still going strong. He wasn't one to try to butt in _too_ much to people's private affairs, but from what he had seen and heard they were quite happy together. Though to be honest, their relationship still surprised him a little. Izuku was pretty much the last person he expected to start dating someone; he was shy, awkward, anxious… Everything Mina was not.

And perhaps that was why their relationship seemed to work so well; they each had what the other lacked. One would have to be blind to not see the effect they had had on each other. Izuku had become a bit more easygoing and comfortable around others and had grown more confident in his own abilities. He still had lapses of self-doubt, as seen just moments ago, but moments like those were few and far between.

As for Mina, she simply seemed more driven than she used to be. Not to say she didn't have any drive to her before (she was easily one of the most energetic students All Might had ever seen), but she had always lacked focus. Watching her train, though, that no longer seemed to be the case. She was pushing herself to her limits and beyond every day, just like a certain green-haired student of his.

"You look like you've made some headway as well," All Might said to Mina. "Those techniques you're developing with that new form of acid are quite impressive."

"You think so?" The pink girl beamed with pride. "Thanks! I'm still trying to figure out the best ways to use it, so I'm just kinda trying anything right now. You see my Acid Veil move yet?" Her teacher nodded.

"Just be sure not to neglect your fundamentals. Special moves are important, but you shouldn't rely on them for everything."

"Right." Mina nodded.

"You've both come a long way since you first started here. Keep up the good work." All Might smiled, giving another thumbs-up before walking off. There were still others he wanted to speak to, after all.

Looking back, he watched Mina sit down next to Izuku and started to chat with him. She moved her arms excitedly as she described something, likely a move she was working on. He had a smile on his face as he listened attentively.

Knowing everything he had been through all his life, seeing his ward smile like that meant a lot to All Might. Mina was truly a kind soul, and he was grateful she was able to make Izuku feel that kind of joy.

Which is why keeping the truth from her hurt that much more.

As far as the former pro could tell, Mina still had no clue about the truth behind his and Izuku's relationship. She had come face-to-face with All for One, but she had no idea who he really was. Izuku had kept his promise and not told a soul about what his Quirk really was.

But All Might could tell how difficult that was becoming.

His protégé hadn't brought up telling Mina about One for All ever since their first conversation, but it was clear he wanted to. Every time he and All Might spoke in private, the boy looked like he always had something more to say. Something he wanted to ask. But he never mentioned it, and his mentor never questioned him on it.

All Might didn't like keeping it all from her. He didn't like how much it upset Izuku. But it was the way things needed to be. Telling Mina was simply too risky, especially with the way things were now.

Their relationship was still fairly young. While it seemed stable and healthy now, who knows what could happen in a few months' time? What if something happened between them and, in the heat of the moment, the she blurted the secret out?

It wasn't something All Might hoped would happen to them, but the fact of the matter was that it could. And so, the truth would stay hidden.

One day, when Izuku could truly call One for All his own, he would be free to do what he wished with it. Should he and Mina still be together, whether he told her or not would be solely up to him. But until then, protecting the secret was top priority.

"I know you understand, kid," the man said with a sigh before turning around and continuing on his way.

* * *

Mina returned to the section Cementoss had set up for her in order to continue practicing her techniques. After her conversation with Izuku, she had a few new ideas she wanted to test out with her new acid. The two of them had been bouncing ideas off each other ever since their training here had started, and it had proven to be quite helpful. Izuku's natural ability to think outside the box and strategize led to him giving her all sorts of cool new things to try over the past several days, even if only a few of them turned out to have any practical use.

On top of experimenting, the acid wielder had decided to take All Might's suggestion to heart. She _had_ been focusing a bit too much on playing around with special moves lately. Perhaps some practice with long range attacks would be a good idea?

As she recalled his words, Mina turned to look at the now-retired Symbol of Peace. He was back in his usual spot, watching her classmates continue their training. She tried to follow his eyes to where he was looking now.

"…Of course."

As expected, All Might was currently watching Izuku as he sparred with one of Ectoplasm's many clones that were stationed in the gym. Mina looked back and forth between her teacher and boyfriend a few times.

Seeing them conversing had caused some familiar thoughts to stir in her head.

Everyone in 1A was, of course, blown away by the announcement of All Might's retirement, as well as the drastic change in his appearance. His scrawny, almost sickly-looking form had taken a lot of getting used to for everyone, including Mina. They understood he was the same All Might inside, of course, but it was still quite a shock.

When she first heard the news that he was retiring, the first thing Mina thought of was how Izuku must have been taking it. She, more than anyone else here, knew just how much All Might meant to him, and how much seeing his idol in that state must have hurt. She saw how he had wept while everyone cheered as the shriveled form the Symbol of Peace stood triumphant over All for One. He knew he was seeing the end of his hero.

…And yet he seemed to have gotten over it so quickly.

Izuku had a strong will, of course. Stronger than just about anyone Mina had ever met. She knew he wouldn't let the fall of All Might keep him down, that he would keep moving forward... But she still couldn't help but feel something was wrong.

There were a lot of little things she noticed ever since moving to the school dorms. Such as how everyone had been a little unsettled by All Might's new appearance at first… Except Izuku. She had seen them talking when the now full-time teacher was initially going around giving advice the first day of training, and she couldn't help but notice how… Normal Izuku to be acting.

But whenever the subject of All Might's current state came up among friends, it was a different story. It was then that Izuku acted like Mina expected him to… Or at least, so it seemed.

She had been with long enough to recognize all the subtle tells in his expressions and body language. She had always been pretty good at reading people in that sort of way, and with him she had become something of an expert.

Which is why, during those conversations, she noticed something… Off with his behavior. Little ticks here and there that she wasn't used to seeing when he was in that sort of mood.

She never bothered to ask him about any of this. For all she knew, he was just acting funny because he was having trouble coping with All Might's fall. Or maybe she was just being paranoid for no reason.

However, just moments ago, she had overheard a little of the conversation between her boyfriend and All Might. The way the hero spoke to Izuku seemed… Weird. It was very different from the how he talked to her. More… Familiar. Personal. Like they had spoken about that kind of stuff many times before. Again, it was very subtle, but Mina knew how to recognize these sorts of things.

It had gotten her thinking about all this stuff again. On their own, none of these things she had noticed seemed _that_ strange. But putting them all together…

"Gah… What am I thinking?"

Shaking her head, Mina tried to refocus on her current task. She was reading _way_ too much into things.

She knew Izuku. If there seriously some kind of secret history between him and All Might, he would be telling everyone about it. He was the guy's biggest fan, after all.

And even if he hadn't told anyone… He would have told her by now. He had always been honest with her about everything; his willingness to be open to her was pretty much the whole reason they even started dating in the first place. It was one of the things she loved most about him… Of course he would tell her about something like that!

...Right?

* * *

"…Man, can't they give us, like, another week? I feel like we deserve it after all the crap we've been through," Kaminari whined.

"Hey man, think of this way: We don't have to get up as early anymore since we're right next to the school," Kirishima said, trying to cheer his friend up. This was the last day of summer break, and a good chunk of 1A wasn't exactly excited about that fact.

"Yeah, I guess that's something," Kaminari admitted, taking some comfort in the fact that he could sleep in a bit.

"It also means you guys don't have an excuse to be late anymore," Tsuyu added, earning glares from the spiky-haired duo.

"Indeed. I expect everyone to arrive at class on time and ready to learn tomorrow!" Iida was as fired up as ever, already getting back into "class rep" mode for the coming semester.

Being the last day of break, the class had decided to take part in another group dinner. Everyone had all chipped in to make a curry dish, which they were all currently enjoying.

Izuku watched his friends bicker as some of the others tried to hold in their laughter. He always enjoyed spending time with everyone like this, surrounded by friends he had been through so much with. A lot had happened in their first semester as U.A. students, and he had a feeling the next one would be just as crazy.

"Mina? You okay?" Uraraka's question made Izuku looked to his girlfriend, who was sitting on his right. She was staring down at her food with her chin resting on a hand. She didn't seem to hear Uraraka. "Mina?"

"Hm?" Blinking a couple of times, the pink girl looked up at the brunette. "Sorry, you say something?" Uraraka looked at her with slight concern.

"You look a little out of it. Something wrong?" Mina shook her head.

"Nah, I'm good. Just a little tired, that's all. Training was extra tough today." She gave a small smile to reassure that she was fine.

"Alright, just checking." Satisfied, Uraraka returned to the conversation with everyone else.

Izuku continued to look at Mina, who was now picking at her meal. She had been acting like this ever since they had gotten out of training. She claimed it was due to exhaustion, but he knew better.

Mina had never been one to hide her feelings. She was extremely expressive, and one could generally tell what sort of mood she was in just by watching her. And currently, Izuku could tell something was bothering her. What it was, he didn't know; she had been perfectly fine this morning, after all.

Had something happened during training? Was she getting anxiety about the new semester? He wanted to ask, but he figured if she wanted to bring it up she would. He'd wait until dinner was done and the two of them were able to speak in private.

Whatever it was, Izuku was sure he could help her out.

* * *

Mina stood in front of the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently. Sometimes she hated being on the top floor.

It had been a pretty busy evening in the dorms. 1A had more or less decided to throw a small party due to it being their last day of break. There had been a sizeable dinner, games, and music as the students enjoyed their final night of freedom from the classroom. Normally Mina would have been ecstatic for such an event, but she was actually one of the first ones turning in for the night. As much as she wanted to enjoy the festivities, she just couldn't shake these weird thoughts she was having about Izuku and All Might.

She had tried to dismiss them earlier, but they ended up crawling their way back into her head shortly after she finished training.

Why was this bothering her so much? Just yesterday, she was cooking dinner for Izuku and cuddling up in bed with him, telling him – kind of – that she loved him. Now she was standing here, wondering if he was hiding some weird nebulous secret.

Wait, no, she wasn't thinking that! She trusted Izuku with everything she had. He would never do something like that.

…So why was she still thinking about this?

"Mina?" Upon hearing her boyfriend's voice, her body involuntarily tensed up for a split second. Turning around to see a very concerned-looking Izuku, she forced herself to smile.

"Hey Izu, what's up?" This whole thing was ridiculous.

"…Is there something wrong?"

Damnit. She hated how bad she was at hiding her mood sometimes.

She couldn't just say no. He'd know she was lying. But what was she supposed to do?

"…Do you want to talk about it? We can go to my room or something," Izuku offered. He hadn't even waited for an answer. Mina sighed.

"…Yeah, okay." Screw it. She knew this wasn't going to stop unless she asked him about it. It'd be simple; all she'd do is ask about him and All Might, he'd obviously tell her nothing was going on, and she could stop worrying about this.

Hopefully he wouldn't take it the wrong way. She _did_ trust him, really. She just… Her brain was being a real bitch right now.

They walked to Izuku's room, shutting the door behind them as they went inside. The concerned boy turned to face her.

"Should we… Sit down or something?" She hated how much this was worrying him. He thought there was something seriously wrong, when in reality it was just her making a big huff about nothing.

"No, it's… It's fine." She took a deep breath. "Alright, um… Look, this is going to sound stupid. Like, _really_ stupid. Just… Just promise me you'll give me a straight answer." Izuku now looked more confused than anything.

"Mina, you know I-

"Just… Please. Promise me." He looked a bit surprised by her interruption.

"I… Alright, I promise." Mina nodded, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. She quickly decided on her usual method: Direct and blunt.

"Okay… Again, this is going to sound dumb and weird, but…" Another breath. "…Is there something going on with you and All Might? Like, something I don't know?"

God, it sounded _really_ stupid when she said it out loud.

She waited for him to laugh. She waited for him to ask if she was joking, if this was seriously what was bothering her. Something like that. Anything like that.

But Izuku did none of those things. Instead, he stared at her with an expression she had never seen him make before. There was no real emotion to it, just a blank, wide-eyed stare. He was completely silent.

What… What was going on?

"…Izu?" This seemed to snap him out of it as he now looked extremely perplexed.

"Me… Me and All Might? What? No, nothing I haven't…" He tilted his head. "What makes you think that?" There, those were the words Mina was hoping to hear.

…So why the weird face? Why the hesitation? Why the odd body language she was seeing right now?"

…

No…

"M-Mina?" She could tell by his face that she looked the same way she felt. "What… What's with that face?"

There was a feeling welling up inside of her that she couldn't exactly describe. But it didn't feel good.

"…You're… You're lying." Her voice was one of complete and utter disbelief. She didn't want to accept it, but Izuku had lied. Something was, in fact, going on. "Why… Why are you…"

"I-I'm not!" Panic overtook the boy as he held up his hands. "I… I'm serious, there… There's n-nothing…"

The cold, hollow feeling Mina was experiencing quickly began to fade. In its place came something much worse.

"…Do… Do you think I'm stupid?" Izuku froze, the sudden bite in Mina's voice catching him off guard. "You really think I can't tell when you're bullshitting me!?" Her voice was growing louder as anger began to bubble up inside her. Not only was clearly lying, he was trying to deny the fact that he was.

"M-Mina, please-

"Why? Why are you lying to me, Izuku!?" Reason was no longer with the girl as her mind grew clouded with fury. What else had he not told her? How long had he been keeping this from her?

"Mina-

"Why!?" Izuku looked terrified as she took a step closer. She could feel tears beginning to form. It was as if her entire perception of Izuku was being shattered.

"I…I…"

" _Tell me!"_

"I CAN'T!"

The second he blurted this out, the frightened boy slapped his hands over his mouth. He stared wide-eyed at Mina, whose rage seemed to die instantly.

"…Wh…What?" That cold, hollow feeling returned, but stronger this time. "What… What do you mean you 'can't'"?"

He didn't get a chance to answer; her distraught mind had already come up with its own reason why.

"Do… Do you not trust me enough?" Why else could he not tell her… Whatever it was he couldn't tell her?

Mina suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She took a step back, her vision blurring.

Izuku stepped toward her, holding a hand out.

"No, Mina, that's not-

She was out the door before he could finish.

She sprinted down the hall, ignoring the voice calling her name as she ran. Ignoring the elevator, she made for the stairs, climbing them as tears fell freely from her face. She didn't stop until she reached her room, slamming the door behind her as she locked it.

* * *

Oh no, drama! Hopefully this doesn't feel super contrived; I figure the relationship can't be completely perfect all the time, and Izuku's secret was going to come back to haunt him sooner or later. Will he be able to solve this? Find out soon.


	22. Revelations

Back to back updates? Indeed!

* * *

It had taken several seconds for Izuku to fully grasp what had just happened. By the time he had started chasing after Mina, she was out of sight. He had called out to her, though she obviously didn't respond.

It had all happened so fast. What he thought was going to be a regular conversation suddenly turned into… That.

It was the first time Mina had ever gotten mad at him like that. Hearing her yell at him like that had been… Scary, to say the least. He was still shaking slightly from the outburst.

But worse than that was the gut-wrenching guilt he was now feeling.

He understood why she had gotten so distraught. He had, in fact, lied to her face, then tried to deny it when she called him out on it. Why the heck did he think he could get away with that? Mina had always been good at reading him.

But at the same time… What else could he say? Despite the burning desire to tell her everything about All Might and One for All, he had made a promise. One that he couldn't break no matter what. He had already spoken to All Might about this once before, and the hero's answer was clear: Mina wasn't to be told.

But somehow, she had figured it out. At least, she had figured out there was _something_ she didn't know about. Izuku shouldn't have been so surprised; with how close they had grown, it made sense that she had eventually noticed something. He couldn't keep his guard up all the time, after all.

The distraught boy's heart was pounding. He hadn't the slightest clue what to do now. Everything between them had gone so smoothly up until now…

Was there something else he could have said? Could he have made up a story? No, she would have seen right through it. Was he supposed to just go "yes, but I can't tell you what"? Sure, _that_ wouldn't have caused any problems.

But still, his first instinct was to just… Lie like that? Try to play dumb? What was he thinking?

" _You don't trust me enough?"_

Izuku winced as he recalled the last words Mina said to him before running off. She sounded so… Betrayed.

And she was right to feel that way. He _had_ broken her trust, at the end of the day, and he had no idea how to make things right.

But he was certainly going to try.

Resolving to try to talk to her, the green-haired boy made his way toward the elevator. He hadn't the slightest clue what he was going to say, or if Mina would even listen, but he couldn't just stand here and do nothing.

However, as he stood there waiting for the doors to open…

"Hey, Deku." Izuku's body involuntarily tensed up as he heard Bakugou's voice call out to him. This was _not_ the time for this. He turned to look at his old friend, who was quickly approaching him with a fierce look in his eye.

"K-Kacchan? What's-

"Come with me." It sounded like an order more than a request. "We need to talk." For a second, Izuku thought he misheard. _Bakugou_ wanted to talk to _him_?

"Uh… I'm… I'm kind of busy." He looked back at the elevator, which was just about to reach their floor.

"It's about your Quirk."

Izuku's head snapped back towards Bakugou.

"My… My Quirk?" He tried to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah, your Quirk. And whatever the fuck All Might has to do with it."

The wielder of One for All's blood ran cold. Had… Had Bakugou _also_ figured something out?

What was happening today!?

The elevator doors opened, but Izuku didn't walk through them.

He wanted to talk to Mina, but he knew he couldn't just ignore this. It almost sounded like Bakugou had _actually_ found out about One for All.

He let out a loud sigh.

"…Alright."

* * *

Mina laid face-first on her bed, clutching a pillow in her arms as she sobbed into it. The casing was thoroughly soaked by this point; she had been like this for some time.

Her mind was a violent vortex of anger, grief, heartbreak, and so many other awful feelings. Why was this happening?

What had she done wrong?

All this time, she was convinced she and Izuku had complete trust in one another. That they could and would tell each anything. She had been upfront with him about everything. She had told him nothing but the truth.

But it seemed his trust in her wasn't as real as she thought it was. Why else would have said those things? Why else would he have just… Lied?

Why? Why didn't he trust her? What had she done to make him doubt her like that?

She hiccupped. Her tears were beginning to slow, but she certainly didn't feel any better. Her heart felt like it had sunken to the bottom of her stomach, and she still felt somewhat sick.

After a few more minutes, the heartbroken girl's crying finally ceased. She simply couldn't push out any more tears at this point. She rolled over so that she was on her back, sniffling. Was this it? After everything she'd gone through with Izuku, was this how things ended between them?

Was her love all for nothing?

She squeezed her eyes shut, a few more drops leaking out as she did.

A buzz from her phone got her attention. She ignored it for a moment, but then decided to at least see who it was. She was a little surprised a message had been sent by not Izuku, but Kirishima.

"hey, you ok? you seemed a little weird tonight." Mina groaned.

"yea im fine dont worry. just tired." It wasn't true, of course, but she didn't really want to get anyone else involved in this.

As she exited out of her messenger, she winced as her phone's background appeared. It was a picture of her and – who else – Izuku. She had taken it during one of their nights at the camp during dinner. There was a pain in her chest as she stared at the picture. She wanted to look away, but for some reason she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Off of him.

His smile in the shot was so… Pure. Like he was truly happy to be there with her, their cheeks squeezing together as she had hugged him with one arm.

Had he been faking that too?

…No. No, he couldn't have been.

The countless little moments like that they'd had together… Those were real. Every smile, every laugh, every blush, every kiss… She had felt true compassion from him through it all. Including last night. Heck, including this _morning_.

How could one display that much genuine feeling for another if they didn't have complete trust in them? And him refusing to tell her whatever secret he had suggested otherwise. It just didn't add up.

Unless… Unless that wasn't why he hadn't told her?

Mina's eyebrows furrowed as she thought. She hadn't even tried to consider the possibility that he had a completely different reason for not explaining himself.

Perhaps his connection with All Might was due to some dangerous secret, and he was trying to protect her? Maybe it was just something All Might considered a private matter, and Izuku didn't want to just tell her without asking permission?

It couldn't have been anything nefarious. There was no way either of those two would be involved in anything illegal. _That_ Mina was certain of.

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed that him lying had nothing to do with a lack of trust. As she realized this, her grief started to become replaced by a new feeling: Guilt.

"…Shit."

She had acted like a complete child. She had let her emotions get the better of her, not even giving Izuku a chance to try to explain himself. She just automatically assumed the whole thing was about her, and she had flipped out on him because of it.

Immature. Selfish. Stupid.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…!" She repeated out loud, hitting the side of her head with each word.

Maybe there was a better way he could have explained himself. Maybe he could have at least owned up to lying. But the fact of the matter was that she had acted completely out of line.

And she needed to make amends.

Springing to her feet, she quickly made her way out of her bedroom.

She just hoped she hadn't screwed things up _too_ much.

* * *

"Kacchan, we really shouldn't be out here this late…" Izuku said quietly, looking around. Bakugou said nothing as he continued to walk at a brisk pace. He hadn't said a word since they headed out. The two of them had walked for well over 10 minutes now.

Izuku continued to pester his companion the whole way, trying to figure out where they were going. The normally loud and impatient blonde kept his mouth shut, however. Then the buildings came into view.

Both students were silent as they entered one of U.A's many training facilities, built to look like a real city. Class 1A had undergone many intense exercises here.

But to Izuku and Bakugou, there was a particular spot that held special significance.

Sure enough, the green-haired boy was led to a very familiar building.

"…This is…" Izuku started.

"This is where we fought in combat training for the first time," Bakugou finished for him, his back turned to his old friend. "…Where I lost. Honestly, just thinking about it still makes me feel sick to my stomach."

He turned his head ever so slightly so that he was looking at Izuku.

"You were a good-for-nothing Quirkless bitch… Yet somehow, you got accepted into U.A. And what's more, your Quirk just suddenly manifested out of nowhere. Right?"

Izuku gulped. Based on what the blonde had told him earlier, he might have some idea about the truth behind said Quirk.

"And ever since then, you've just been growing more and more and more… Always keeping up ahead of the rest of us."

"I-I wouldn't say-

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN."

Izuku jumped at the sudden increase in volume. Bakugou turned his head again so he wasn't looking at the startled boy.

"…Let me ask you something. And be fucking straight with me, got it?" He paused. "…I put you through a lot of shit over the years. But no matter what I did, you never treated me any different. Like we were still friends or some shit."

Another pause. Izuku stayed quiet, uncertain where Bakugou was going with this.

"When that sludge villain grabbed me, you tried to save me. Despite the fact that you knew you were a helpless weakling. Despite the fact I'd told you to jump off a fucking building that same day, you still came for me." An inhale, then an exhale. "And now we're here, about to start our second semester at U.A. You could have told the staff about our history any time. I'm sure they would've kicked me out if you worded shit right."

Izuku was stunned. He would never have done something like that.

"Point is… You've got every reason to hate me, and you've had every chance to get back at me for it all. And yet you still act like nothing's changed. I'm still 'Kacchan' to you." Bakugou suddenly whipped around, glaring. "Why the fuck is that?"

Izuku took a moment to carefully think about his response.

"…Because heroes don't hold grudges." Bakugou, surprisingly, stayed quiet, letting him continue. "I don't know why you had such a problem with me, but… Deep down, I know you're still the same Kacchan. Like I told you back with that sludge villain… I couldn't just stand there and watch you die. It didn't matter how you treated me, or how powerless I was. I just…" The explosion wielder's eyes were hidden beneath his hair, though his grit teeth suggested he wasn't happy. "And as for U.A… I would never try and sabotage someone's dream like that. No matter who they are… But especially not you."

"…You're an annoying piece of shit, you know that?" Bakugou growled. Izuku sighed, wondering if he had even heard any of that. "But all that nonsense you're spewing…" The blonde looked his classmate dead in the eye. "I guess that's why All Might gave you that Quirk, huh?"

The One for All wielder's heart skipped a beat. Hearing someone blurt it out so directly caught him off guard.

"You once told me someone gave you your Quirk. I figured you were just fucking with me, making fun of me… But that ain't how you are, right?" Bakugou began to pace. "The boss of those villains, the guy who knew All Might… He could take and give Quirks like it was nothing. That's why one of the Pussycats had to retire. That's why those Nomu fuckers had multiple Quirks."

There was another pause. Izuku simply followed his movements with his eyes.

"So Quirk transfer is actually a thing, and All Might's connected to it. And it wasn't until you met him that you started to change. On top of that, All Might's lost his power now. So… " He stopped, facing his old friend. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked. So I'm asking you now. Got it?"

Izuku could feel sweat on his face. Bakugou had come up with an incredibly sound theory.

"You ain't denying it… Means I'm right, doesn't it?" The two gave each other a long, hard look.

This is what Izuku got for letting that little detail slip way back then…

"If I tell you the truth, how will that help you?" At the end of the day the question remained: Why did Bakugou care?

Yet another silence. The tension in the atmosphere was starting to build.

"You and me, we always looked up to All Might. Always aspired to be like him. You remember, right?" A rare smirk formed on Bakugou's lips as he said this. "And the guy who I thought was just a damn pebble on the side of the road… Before I knew it, you were the one being acknowledged by the guy I look up to most. He deemed you, useless fucking Deku, worthy of his legendary Quirk. And that's why…"

Izuku's eyes went wide at his classmate's next words.

"You're gonna fight me! Right here, right now!"

* * *

"Izu! You out here? I wanna talk!"

Mina called out to the night air as she walked, hoping Izuku was in earshot. He hadn't been in his room when she looked, and he hadn't been with the few others who were still awake. None of them had seen him, either.

And so, she decided to search for him outside the dorm. There was definitely a chance he had run off after her little outburst.

"Come on, where are you?" She thought out loud. This was just making her feel worse about the whole ordeal.

Maybe she had missed him, and he had gone back inside? She had been out here for a while now.

Sighing, the pink girl turned around to head back to the building.

The distant sound of a large explosion made her nearly jump out of her shoes.

"What the hell!?" She turned towards the direction of the sound. A few seconds later, a similar noise rang out.

Was that… Bakugou?

His explosions didn't have a distinct sound to them or anything, but she had no idea what else could be causing something like that. Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to investigate. Besides, if Izuku was out here, he might be heading towards the noise as well.

Before long, she found herself at Ground Beta, the small city-like facility used for combat training. The sounds were definitely coming from here.

As she got closer to the source, voices could be heard. Her eyes went wide as she realized she recognized them.

Bakugou and Izuku were here. And from the sounds of it, they were… Fighting?

* * *

Izuku gasped for breath as he stared up at the night sky. His whole body ached, though none of it was broken.

Despite his protests, he had ultimately been forced to accept Bakugou's challenge. It was the only way the two were ever going to truly move on from their shared past. The two of them went at each other full force, facing off for the first time since that first combat exercise.

A lot more than punches and kicks were exchanged in the fight. This was the first time the two had truly spoken with one another in years, and all the built-up tension between them had finally come out.

Izuku finally learned just why Bakugou seemed to despise him so much. He seemed to think, for whatever reason, the once-Quirkless boy had always looked down at him. Always considered himself superior.

Obviously, that was completely untrue. Izuku had always admired Bakugou, looking up to him almost as much as he looked up to All Might. How his old friend could think that way was beyond him, but he made sure to drill it into the blonde's head that he had nothing but respect for him.

The battle had got so heated that Izuku actually managed to push past his old limits; he had successfully controlled 8% of One for All's power, nearly doubling his previous cap of 5%.

And yet…

Bakugou loomed over him, pinning him to the ground as he held a hand out in front of his face.

…It hadn't been enough.

"I win."

Izuku had been beaten.

For a moment, the two remained in that position, staring at each other in silence. Finally, Bakugou rose to his feet. After a few seconds, he slowly extended his arm, offering a hand to his opponent.

"…Get up, Izuku."

Izuku blinked. Did he hear that right?

"I said get up!"

After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed took the hand before getting pulled to his feet.

"…Thank you." It was all the defeated student could manage to say as he caught his breath.

"…I don't get it. Even with that power, you're still losing to me… Why?"

Even if Izuku had an answer, he wouldn't have had a chance to say it.

"That'll be the end of that, you two!" The two students flinched as a third voice called out. Turning their heads, their jaws dropped.

"…All…"

"…Might?"

* * *

Mina stayed in her hiding spot as All Might suddenly appeared. She was just about to run out and start screaming at the two combatants for being so reckless, but it seemed someone was going to beat her to it.

Besides, she wanted to see if she could find out what the heck this was all about. Though as the three of them spoke, the more and more confusing things got.

"…Why Deku?" Bakugou asked the lanky man that was All Might. "Ever since that fight with the sludge villain… Why him?" Mina cocked her head. She vaguely recalled a report some time ago about that incident.

"Despite his powerlessness, he was more of a hero than anyone else… Including me. I decided that it was my responsibility to help in stand in the arena, so to speak."

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

The conversation went on for a while longer. Bakugou began yelling at All Might, apparently blaming himself for the latter's current condition. The former pro comforted him – or at least attempted to – before proceeding to lecture both of the boys about their shortcomings. Mina didn't exactly follow, but from what she could tell it seemed like the two of them had finally managed to (after sufficiently pounding on each other) reach some sort of understanding with each other.

It seemed, perhaps, that Bakugou had taken some of her words to heart.

"…Who else knows about you and Deku's relationship?" Mina's eyes popped open at Bakugou's words.

"Recovery Girl and the principal. Among the students… Only you."

"…Really?" Bakugou looked at Izuku. "Not Ashido?" At the mention of this, her boyfriend looked at the ground, a sullen look on his face.

"…I've instructed young Midoriya not inform her."

…So _that_ was it.

"Well, if you're that intent on hiding it… I won't say anything to anyone." Mina was just about to step out of her hiding place, when…

"All Might, wait." Izuku stood up straight, looking his teacher in the eye. "Actually, about Mina…"

She stopped just before revealing herself.

"…Young Midoriya, I believe we already discussed-

"She knows something's going on!" Izuku actually interrupted his idol. "She asked me about it and I… Well, I didn't say anything. But… She knew I was lying." All Might seemed taken aback by this. "I swear, I never mentioned any of it to her. She just… Figured it out. And now she thinks… She thinks I don't trust her anymore."

The former Symbol of Peace was quiet for a moment.

"…Is that so?"

"You… You have to let me tell her!" The green-haired student was suddenly on his knees, hands folded. "Please! I don't… I can't keep hiding this from her!" He shouted.

"…Hiding what from me?"

The three males all turned in unison as Mina stepped out.

"M…M…Mina!?"

"Young Ashido!?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake…"

The pink-haired girl slowly approached the group, eyes locked on Izuku as he rose to his feet. He stepped forward, walking toward her. The other two were silent as they closed the gap.

For a moment, neither of them did or said anything. Eventually, Mina was the one to break the silence.

…With a hard slap to across the face.

"Ah!" Izuku cried, clutching his cheek.

"What the hell were you thinking!? Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was watching that!? What if you had broken something!? How do you think I would feel!?"

All Might stared blankly as he watched Mina chew her boyfriend out, jabbing a finger into his chest as she scolded him. Bakugou was howling with laughter.

"And _you_!" The pink ball of fury turned her attention to said laughing student. "I'm guessing you started this, right!? You're lucky he's not hurt, or else I'd…"

"Alright, that's enough," All Might interrupted the girl's raving, stepping forward. Behind him, Bakugou held out a middle finger at her. "…How long have you been here?"

"I got here when after the fight started," Mina answered, folding her arms. The anger in her face quickly disappeared. "I… What in the world were you all talking about? What's going on with you and Izu?"

All Might looked at her boyfriend, then back to her. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess there's no sense hiding it now." A stern look appeared on his face. "But before I begin, I need you to promise me that you will not speak a word of this to anyone. Understand?"

Mina was a bit surprised by the sudden shift in his tone, but only for a moment.

"Right. I promise." All might nodded.

"Well then… It's time for you to learn the truth about young Midoriya's Quirk… And mine."

* * *

"…So if I got this right… You really were Quirkless, and All Might… Gave you his Quirk?"

Mina rubbed her temples, trying to comprehend what she had just been told. She had always thought Izuku's Quirk was similar to All Might's but she had never expected it to actually be the same one.

And giving Quirks? Was that really possible? And that All for One guy… He could _take_ them as well?

Ugh. Her head hurt.

"That's the idea, yes," All Might said. He, Mina, and Izuku were still standing in the fake city. Bakugou had left before the explanation began, deciding he didn't need to stick around for the "full story" as he called it.

"Huh…"

"I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Izuku must have apologized at least a dozen times since they had started talking.

"As I said, please don't blame young Midoriya for withholding this. He's wanted to tell you since before you two went to camp." Mina looked over at her boyfriend, who was averting his eyes. "But… I hope you can understand why I wished for him to keep this a secret."

"Mmmm…" The pink girl folded her arms, narrowing her eyes as she looked at All Might. "I guuueeeess." She then dropped the façade, grinning. "Nah, I get it. Top secret hero stuff." The blonde-haired man nodded, giving a soft smile.

"Good to hear. Now remember, this is a closely guarded secret. It's imperative that you-

"I know, I know. Not a word to anyone." Mina pretended to zip up her mouth, giving a thumbs-up.

"…Right. Now then, I think it's time to head back."

* * *

The couple said goodnight to their teacher as they entered the dormitory. As they walked into the common room, Mina stopped.

"Hey, can we talk for a bit?" Izuku nodded; he was going to ask the same thing.

The two of them walked over to the sofas, sitting down together. They stared at one another for a moment, an awkward silence in the air.

"…Look, Izu-

"Mina, I-

They both stopped speaking.

"…Er, you first." Izuku gave Mina the floor.

"Alright…" She took a breath. "Look, what I said earlier, in your room… The way I acted, I…" Her shoulders slumped slightly as he looked at the floor. "That was…" She shook her head. "I overreacted, to say the least."

"Mina…" Izuku thought he was the one who was going to be apologizing.

"I shouldn't have doubted you like that. I just… Assumed you weren't telling me about, well, I guess your Quirk because you didn't trust me to keep it secret. And because of that, I just kinda… Lost it." The boy rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's… Alright, really. You had every right to be mad at me for that."

"No, I really didn't. At least, not like that. I could have let you try to explain, at least…" She let out a sigh. "Man, being in love can really make… you… Cra…Zy…"

A deafening silence filled the air as the both of them processed what Mina had just said.

"…Hn…" pink became magenta as her whole fit heated up. "Oh god…"

Izuku felt as if his soul had left his body for a brief moment. Had he heard that correctly?

"I.. I… Wh-What did y-you say?" He could've sworn she said "love", but he might have just been hearing things.

"I… Er…" Mina squirmed a little but managed to build up the courage she needed as she turned to her boyfriend, grabbing his hands with her own. "Screw it." She took a deep breath as she looked into is eyes. "…I love you, Izu."

Izuku's brain nearly shut down right then and there. A feeling he couldn't really describe filled his breast as his heartrate increased. His hands were shaking as she held them, and his breathing grew faster. He had already been through so much today, and now this?

However, as he gazed into Mina's vibrant eyes, he began to calm down. As his mind and body entered a slightly more relaxed state, he found himself able to think clearly again.

And thanks to everything that had happened tonight, he finally had an answer to that question All Might had asked him weeks ago.

" _Do you love her_ "

Perhaps it _was_ too soon to say for sure. But right now, he didn't care.

A tender smile formed on his lips.

"…I love you too, Mina."

He watched her face change from shock to disbelief to overwhelming joy in the span of about 4 seconds. Before he could say anything else, she practically leapt at him as she threw her arms around him, threatening to squeeze him to death with a hug.

"EEEEEEEEE!" She squealed with delight before she began assailing his face with a barrage of kisses. He laughed as she did, falling over onto his back on the couch as she laid on top of him. She ended her assault, settling for one final kiss on his lips before pulling away. She looked down at him as she wore a toothy grin.

"Uh… We should probably get to bed," Izuku suggested, despite enjoying his current position under her. "I'm… Probably already in enough trouble as is."

"…5 more minutes," Mina said, winking. Her boyfriend blushed, bit smiled.

"O-Okay… 5 minutes."

The gap between their lips closed. This time, though, Mina didn't pull away.

Izuku held her as their kiss deepened. Finally, he had been able to be completely honest with her. Finally, he was able to truly figure out the full extent of his feelings for her.

It was well over 5 minutes before the young lovers finally went to bed.

* * *

One to go! The last chapter will, frankly, be more of a wrap-up/conclusion type thing, so it will likely be pretty short. See you then!


	23. Epilogue

And so we come to the end of this little journey. To anyone reading this, thank you for sticking to the end! I'm sure the story has had its highs and lows, but I do hope you overall have enjoyed it.

* * *

Mina fidgeted in her seat, chewing on her pencil as her eyes followed Aizawa around the room. Classes had just ended for the day, and her homeroom teacher was currently handing back the first major math exam of the semester. Needless to say, she was a little anxious.

"Crap…" A few seats ahead of her, Kaminari had just received his test. Judging from his face, the results were… Not what he had hoped for. Head hanging low, he got up and left the classroom. Others were also making their exit as they received their grades, a variety of expressions on their faces as they looked over their papers.

It had been about four weeks since the end of break. Mina had tried to keep up with her studies as best she could, but she still found herself struggling on a lot of the material. She hadn't exactly felt confident during the exam.

Aizawa reached her desk, thumbing through his stack to find her name. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the bad news.

"Nice work, Ashido."

Huh?

Reluctantly opening one eye, the horned girl peered down at the paper in front of her. It took her a second to realize she wasn't misreading it.

85%. B.

"No way!" She cried, picking up the exam and quickly flipping through it. Indeed, there was considerably less red pen then she was used to seeing.

"Don't look so surprised." Mina stopped looking over her mistakes as she stared up at Aizawa. "Based on your conduct as of late, it's obvious you've been taking your studies a lot more seriously." The Quirk eraser had had substantially less problems with his pink student as of late, though he did still occasionally catch her daydreaming. She was still Mina, after all.

"O-Oh. Um, thank you, sir." Hearing praise from Aizawa was unusual, especially for her.

"However." There was always a 'however'… "I know you can still improve. Don't let yourself stay satisfied with that score, understand?" Mina looked back at her exam. It was true; a B was nice and all, especially for her, but she could still do better.

She looked back up at Aizawa, giving a firm nod.

"Yes, sir." A small smile crossed the teacher's lips.

"That's what I want to hear." With nothing more to say, he moved on to his next student.

Taking one last look at her score, Mina stood up and quickly made her way over to a certain someone's desk.

"Izu! Check it out!" She held up her exam, grinning proudly. Izuku, who was currently in the middle of putting his things away, smiled at her.

"That's awesome, Mina! See, I told you it would be okay." He had tried to assure her multiple times after the test that she had done fine.

"Yep." She laughed, feeling somewhat silly now for worrying so much. Especially considering about a week ago she had managed to pass a much more difficult test.

The license exam had come and gone, and nearly all of 1A had made it through. The only two that failed were, much to everyone's surprise, Bakugou and Todoroki. Much of it had to do with their conduct during the "rescue" part of the test.

Mina remembered the moment she realized she had actually passed. She had never felt so proud of herself. All of her hard work over the last month had paid off, and now she had taken one giant step closer toward becoming a real hero.

And she would have never made it without this green-haired nerd beside her.

It was funny thinking about this all here, in their classroom. This was where it had all begun, the first time the two of them had truly spoken with one another. That conversation that had first sparked the flames of love that now burned brightly in both their hearts.

"Oh, we still on for tonight?" She asked, remembering their plans. Izuku's face went flush as she said this. Evidently, he had forgotten.

"O-Oh, um… Yeah." He rubbed his arm. "I, uh, I don't have to sing… Do I?" Mina scoffed.

"Of course you do! That's the whole point!" She exclaimed, causing her boyfriend's face to turn even whiter. "Oh come on, it'll be fun!" She patted his cheek a couple times.

There was no way in hell she was going to miss out on hearing Izuku sing karaoke.

* * *

Izuku's face was positively glowing as he and Mina left the karaoke bar. That had to have been one of the scariest things he had ever done.

"You're not half bad, you know. We should do this again!" Mina suggested, swinging her arm with his as they held hands.

"A-Again?" The poor boy wasn't sure his heart could take another night of that. He was surprised to get more cheers than laughs, but still…

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that wasn't fun."

Well… She wasn't wrong. He couldn't deny he hadn't enjoyed himself at least a little.

The place was noisy and full of people, something Izuku had never been too comfortable dealing with, but there was a certain energy to the place he couldn't help but get entranced by. Everyone was having so much fun, even if they couldn't really sing. There had been more than a few performances that could be considered "poor", but people still cheered them on. Nothing but positivity all around, which Izuku enjoyed seeing.

Plus, watching Mina really get into it was equal parts funny and cute. Even if her voice wasn't as good as she seemed to think.

"…Yeah, I guess it was fun," he admitted. It was funny; he never would have even thought about setting foot in a place like that if it weren't for her.

There were a _lot_ of things Izuku wouldn't have done without Mina's encouragement. He'd experienced so much in the two months they'd been together. While karaoke had been incredibly embarrassing, the fact that he was even willing to do it showed how much more comfortable he had gotten around others lately. His girlfriend had played a big part in getting him to come out of his shell a bit more; her vibrant personality was quite contagious.

He thought about all the time they'd spent together. He was glad to see that her learning the truth about his Quirk hadn't affected their relationship much, if at all. Mina didn't really see him any differently because of it. That meant quite a bit to the formerly Quirkless boy.

Just one of the many reasons why he loved her.

They made their way back to campus, chatting about a variety of subjects along the way. It was pretty late by the time they returned. Fortunately, they didn't have classes tomorrow to worry about.

As they entered the dorms, they could hear the sound of their classmates in the common area. From the sounds of it, there was some sort of movie night going on.

"Oh! That sounds like fun, let's go join them!" Mina exclaimed as she started to pull Izuku toward the common area.

"Um… Actually." She stopped as he spoke up, turning to face him. "Can… Can we go upstairs instead?"

His face was cooking. Once again, it spoke volumes about the effect Mina had had on him that he was the one suggesting this. But all that excitement at the karaoke bar had put him… In a mood.

His girlfriend's lips curled into a devilish grin.

"Well, if you insist…"

* * *

Izuku finally pulled away, gasping for breath as Mina sat up a bit. He was currently on his bed, lying on his back with Mina atop him. Needless to say, things got heated fairly quickly once they got to his room.

Ever since they'd confessed their love for each other, the couple had shared some rather… Intimate moments together. At some point during this particular encounter, Izuku had managed to lose his shirt.

Not the first time it had happened, actually.

That said, there was always a limit. Izuku had admittedly seen and touched a bit more of Mina than he'd like to admit, but things had never gone past a certain point.

"You… Wanna… Stop?" Mina asked between breaths. Unsurprisingly, it was almost always Izuku who decided when they'd gone far enough. His lover had learned how to recognize when he was beginning to become uncomfortable, or when he had simply just had enough for the time being.

Usually, at this point, he would have said yes. But tonight was different. Whether he had gained some sort of confidence boost from singing, or his hormones were simply finally getting the better of him, he wasn't sure. But one way or another…

"N…No…" He shook his head. Mina seemed a bit surprised. "I…" He paused, taking a moment to really think about this.

…He was ready.

Mina look a long, hard look at him. It seemed she understood.

"…Are you sure?"

"…Only if you are."

For a moment, neither of them moved. Suddenly, she was on him, attempting to simultaneously kiss him and take off her shirt. He assisted with the removal of her clothing as he finally let his lust overtake him.

"I… Love you!" Izuku gasped between kisses.

"Love… Love you too…"

The shirt hit the floor. It wasn't longed before the rest of their outfits joined it.

* * *

Mineta exited his room, a small case in his hands. He, along with most of his class, had been enjoying a fun movie night that evening. While most of his suggestions had been shot down, he finally managed to convince his peers to let him show them one of his favorite films. Not counting adult films, at least.

However, as he made his way toward the elevator, a strange noise made him stop.

"Oh god… Izu…!"

His head snapped in the direction of Izuku's room.

That was Mina's voice. And he was _very_ familiar with that sort of tone.

He was next to the door in seconds, putting his ear up to it. He dropped his movie, a perverse grin appearing on his face.

There was no mistaking those sounds. Izuku had finally done it.

Mineta had never felt so proud.

* * *

"…Sheesh, how long's it going to take?" Kaminari asked impatiently. "What's that little grape doing?"

"Do you _really_ want to know what's holding him up?" Jirou asked.

"…Good point."

"Either way, we got plenty of other stuff to watch, so-

" **SMMMMAAAAAAASH!** "

The whole room jumped as there was a sudden yell. It was a bit muffled, as it had come from upstairs, but everyone had heard it well enough.

"…Was… Was that Midoriya?" Jirou asked, looking at the ceiling. "I didn't even think he was here."

"What the hell was that scream for?" Kirishima was equally confused. Everyone else in the room began to murmur, wondering what they had just heard.

"Is… Is he okay?" Uraraka sounded a bit concerned. "Maybe we should go check on him and-

"No need. Midoriya's perfectly fine." Everyone turned to look at Mineta, who had just strolled into the room. "More than fine, in fact!"

"The heck's that supposed to mean?" Kirishima asked, raising an eyebrow.

" _That_ , my friends, was the sound of Midoriya finally becoming a man!" The shortest member of 1A put his hands on his hips, a huge grin on his face.

There was a long, _long_ silence. Kaminari looked around, a bit confused.

"What do you mean he… Oh. _OH._ " The electricity wielder looked up at the ceiling again. "…So… That was…"

"Oh god." Jirou put a hand on her stomach. "Now anytime I hear that, all I'm gonna think about is… Augh!"

"I don't understand. What did he do?" Iida was, unsurprisingly, completely oblivious as he turned to Todoroki, who shrugged. He was equally unsure. Uraraka didn't answer him either; she was too busy hiding her face in her hands as her face turned scarlet.

"It was bound to happen eventually." Tsuyu was completely unphased, as usual. Kirishima was just laughing.

For once, Bakugou was at a loss for words.

The room buzzed with conversation from the rest of the class.

Somehow, Izuku and Mina managed to get through the next day. And together, they'd get through many more days for many years to come.

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaaaand it's over! A short and silly ending to cap off things. Thank you once again for reading!

I do plan to continue writing, but I will likely be sticking to oneshots and much shorter stories from here on out. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed writing this immensely, but long stories are tough… I don't know when my next upload will be, but I'll hopefully see you then!


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